Prince and Princess
by April-May7
Summary: Prince Jace meets a normal stable girl named Clary. He doesn't know why, but he feels drawn to her, in a way he has never been drawn to anyone. Will she be the one? What will happen when the neighboring kingdom, ruled by King Valentine, decides to attack? Rated T just to be safe. BEING EDITED :)
1. Clary and the Horses

**Hi guys! I wrote this story a while ago, and I'm putting it under revision so it is finished but I am going back through and editing some things. If you have any questions or comments let me know!**

**I do not own The Mortal Instruments Series... That belongs to Cassandra Clare... :)**

Clary POV

I always thought of myself as ordinary. There wasn't much about me that was unusual, except some people told me that I was quite the artist, and had a way with animals. I guess they were right, I mean some of my work was pretty good, and some horses really liked me. I live in the kingdom of Evershire, and look just like most of the people there. I have red hair, green eyes, and I'm fairly short.

So I am basically an orphan even though my mom is still around. She has been in a coma for quite some time now... I guess around six years, or since I was ten. Luke, her best friend, has taken care of me since then. He's a pretty good "Dad", in replacement for my real one that killed himself years ago. I don't remember my dad at all, and my mom doesn't really talk about him. When I questioned her about it when I was younger, she just blew it off and avoided anything I asked about him.

My best friends are Simon and Isabelle. Simon is a total dork, but we love him anyways. We met because their parents and Luke and my mom are all friends. Isabelle's older brother Alec is a knight, and her younger brother Max hangs out with us sometimes. I love them all like siblings.

I also love horses, and work in the king's stable to help earn money for us. Not only does the extra money help, but I keep my horse Sundance there. The King likes her, and Sundance really likes his horse, Moonblink. I only discovered this a few weeks ago, when the king invited me to dinner.

I had no idea why at the time but later found out it was because Jace asked for me. Jace was his son, and beautiful by every definition of the word. He had golden hair, and the same color eyes. His appearance reminded everyone of an angel, though not his attitude. He was rude, sarcastic, and stuck up. Granted he was the prince, but he spent far too much time with the young noble women of his court if you ask me. He was well aware of his looks, and often used it to lure the ladies into relationships that meant nothing to him. Isabelle and I always talked about his inability to acknowledge the trail of broken hearts he left in his wake. He was either really oblivious, or simply didn't care. Given how he treated girls, Isabelle and I chose to believe the latter.

The day I was invited to dinner, I was out exercising Sundance, and had gotten permission to take Moonblink out too. The two horses went together like peanut-butter and jelly. They were adorable, because Sundance's golden fur and cream mane and tail accented Moonblink's blue/gray body and black mane and tail. I took them galloping, riding Sundance and ponying Moonblink. Most people wouldn't be able to handle the moody mare and feisty stallion, but I'd been working with horses since before I could walk, so I had no trouble. After about a mile, I reined them into a trot and vaulted onto Moonblink's back. It was a skill that I had perfected a while ago while riding Sundance and Simon's mare, Starshine, since he was sick. I tapped Moonblink's ribs with my heels, and he lurched forward again. We galloped through the forest, both the horses in top shape and in their prime. Soon the sweat was dripping off them both and working into foam on their necks and chests, and their nostrils were flaring with each breath. I touched the reins, and they both dropped to a trot. Turning them around, we headed back to the stable. When we got back, the King was watching us from his balcony. I looked down and pretended not to notice as I walked the horses out until their breathing returned to a normal. Getting down, I took the reins over their heads and led one on each side of me towards the crossties. Before I reached them, I heard my name.

"Clary!" I turned to see the king looking at me expectantly.

"Yes, your majesty?" I responded.

"Come up here for dinner." He commanded

"Yes Sir." I called back. Oh man. I had never set foot in the dining room, let alone have dinner. I wonder why I was invited.

**I am also going to be putting a riddle at the end of every chapter and if you are the first one to answer correctly in a review you will get a shout out in the next chapter :) **

**If you are new to my stories then welcome! I just want to let you know that I NEVER hold chapters hostage for reviews but I LOVE them and they motivate me to write faster :)**

**Thanks!**

**Here is your riddle: What has teeth but doesn't eat?**


	2. Prince Jace

**Since I doubt Cassandra Clare has an obsession with a horse named April, and I do, I AM NOT HER! I wish I owned TMI but I don't! :D**

3Rd person POV

Clary took care of the horses nervously and was about to exit the stable when Isabelle came running up to her.

"Clary! Maryse sent me to get you ready for dinner." She said.

"How do you know?" Clary asked her.

"'Cuz she told me... I don't know how she knows," She replied. Clary reached where she was standing at that point, and they began to walk back to Clary's house, with Izzy still jabbering on about the dress they had for her. Whatever Clary thought. She had learned from experience that resisting Izzy is futile. Clary showered, and Izzy did her hair and makeup. She had on smoky eye shadow and clear lip gloss. Izzy managed to straighten Clary's mane of red curls, and put a white bow to hold back the whisps of hair that fell across her forehead. She threw a purple dress at Clary, and told her to change. She stalked into the bathroom, and put it on. Looking in the mirror, she saw that it had a white sash and a big bow tied at the right hip, and it came down to mid thigh. It was low cut and sleeveless, trimmed with white on the top and bottom edge. Izzy handed her a pair of white flats, which she slipped into gratefully. Heels don't work for her, as they learned last time Izzy tried to make her wear them. A broken ankle later, Izzy promised that she wouldn't make Clary wear them ever again.

"Wow." She said, looking Clary up and down and nodding approvingly. She blushed, and looked at her shoes. Izzy looked at the clock and gasped. There was only ten minutes before Clary was supposed to be there.

"Lets go!" She whispered, and ushered her out the door.

The first thing Clary thought when they entered the dining room was _Wow._ There was a beautiful, pure white table cloth, with a crystal chandelier hanging above the massive table. Several servants approached her, asking if she needed anything. She accepted a glass of water gratefully, with a smile at the boy with black hair. He smiled back, then walked into the back room. The king entered soon, and Clary stood to show her respect.

"Please, be seated." He smiled warmly at her, "My son should be here any minute... Ah, here he is." Clary sat, but forced her tired legs to support her weight again as she stood before the prince. He was a tall, lean boy who looked to be about a year older than her. She looked from the floor, up to his face. She couldn't help but stare. He smirked, and winked at her.

"Like what you see?" He replied in a voice that sounded like honey. She blushed, and he smirked again. She did like what she saw, because standing in front of her was the single most attractive person she had ever laid eyes on. Little did she know, but behind the smirk, Prince Jace was thinking much the same thing about her.


	3. Dinner

**Still don't own this book or the characters but I wish I did! Thanks to Cassandra Clare for writing TMI! K, so this chapter is gonna have some Jace POV! Yay!**

Clary POV:

I shook my head to clear the thoughts, and looked back to the king. He nodded, and I took this as a clue to sit down again. I sat onto the cushion, and picked at the edge of my dress. The king cleared his throat, and I looked up. Fortunately, he was looking at the servants.

"Sebastian, can you please get dinner?" He faced the black haired boy. Sebastian nodded his head, and scurried into the kitchen. Once the three of us were alone, the king began to speak. "Clary, Stable master John has decided to retire," He looked at me, "And I would like you to take his place." He finished. "What?" I whispered, wondering if I was dreaming. Being the stable master meant that I could live in the castle, and eat meals like this every day. I thought about seeing Jace more often, and blushed. He saw and smirked at me. Gosh, does this kid ever do anything but smirk? I guess he probably did, but wasn't sure. He seemed arrogant. I mean I know hes the prince and all, but his father just seemed so much more polite. It was like he knew of his good looks and his status, and wasn't afraid to use them to lure young ladies into his rooms. That was one reason that I liked horses more than people. They were so simple. With horses, ears forward meant they were happy, and ears back meant they were upset. With Jace... Well, I just wish I knew what he was thinking.

Jace POV

I snuck a peak out of the corner of my eye. She was incredibly beautiful, but the way she looked at her shoes told me that she didn't know it. I sighed to myself. There was just something about her; something about being in the same room as her... I just couldn't put my finger on it. This one was different from the rest. I saw that in the way she played with the horses, and the passion in the paintings that she did for my father. I looked up as Sebastian came in, loaded with plates. He set one in front of dad, bowed, then set one in front of me. He moved to Clary's place, and she looked with wide eyes at the dish in front of her. It was just a simple dinner, but I guess she didn't know that. We ate in silence, with only the clinking of forks on plates. I looked at her a few more times, but she didn't notice. She was busy watching Sebastian. I hate that servant. He was my least favorite, and this just made me more upset. Even just thinking about them together made me mad. What was wrong with me? I wasn't supposed to feel like this about a simple girl. I am the Prince. Thinking about this, I realized that Sebastian and Clary had a better chance than Clary and I. A relationship between me and Clary could never work out. Frustrated, I slammed down my fork and pushed back my chair. I glared at Sebastian, glanced back at Clary's confused face, and left the room as quickly as possible.

I couldn't get her out of my head for the rest of the night. Something was different about her, and I thought about it until past midnight. I finally figured it out. The reason I wanted her so badly was because I had convinced myself that I couldn't have her. I was determined to prove my theory. I would get Clary Fray, if it was the last thing I did. And it almost was.

**Thanks for reading! I will try to get a chapter every day... :) Reviews would be WONDERFUL but I don't believe in holding chapters hostage for them... :O**


	4. Chapter 4

**I don't own TMI... Cassandra Clare does...**

**Hjeq- I do know some stuff about horses, but I didn't really put anything super realistic in this story... :O Sorry! I can change it if u tell me how it should be... Thx for the input!**

**So on with the story... :D**

Sebastian POV

She was so beautiful. And she was totally mine. Considering all the noble ladies were after Jace, and this one was "on my level", I was going to have her. Stupid Jace. I can't believe my father sent me here. I am the Prince of Tivara, and posing as a mere servant. Why couldn't Valentine get someone else to spy on the castle? I just hope this uprising will come soon... I mean, as soon as his army storms the castle, I can go back to being prince over Tivara and Evershire. And that... Well, that will be great.

Clary POV

Sebastian was very handsome, but not nearly as striking as Jace. I snuck another peek at them both, and confirmed my thoughts. The only thing about Sebastian was that interesting was his eyes. They were black. Not dark brown, but black like coal. His hair matched, as dark as the bottom of the ocean at midnight. If you haven't been to the bottom of the ocean at midnight, I can assure you that it is very, very dark. A sharp, metalic _THACK_ inturupted my thoughts, and I looked up. Jace was standing, glaring at Sebastian. He looked at me, something I couldn't place in his eyes. He turned on his heel, and swept out of the room.

I looked at Sebastian, and he smirked. I wondered what went caused Jace to act so violently. The rest of dinner past smoothly, and I thanked the King, and left for my house. I was packing my belongings, getting ready to move into the castle, and I couldn't get Jace out of my mind. I don't know why, but I felt like I had known him for a long time. I had, but not on the personal level that I felt. I had only seen him from afar before. I wanted to be with him. I quickly reminded myself of all the broken hearts, and his status. Even the royal stable master would barely be able to see him, let alone have a relationship with him. It just wasn't right, and it would never work.

King POV

Well that wasn't good. I thought. Jace was acting so strange. Usually he was very polite to young ladies. He was the one who had suggested Clary for the job anyways... I didn't know what was wrong with him. I saw him glance at Clary a few times, and her at him. Was something going on there? I didn't think they knew each other. Oh well. Hes nearly an adult, and can make his own decisions. Clary as well. I just hope this isn't anything major... I sighed, and went to my rooms. I would send someone to talk with him tomorrow...

**Thanks so much for reading!** **Sorry this chapters kinda short but its just kinda a bridge... Reviews would still be wonderful, but I'm not gonna stop the story... :D**


	5. Kiss

**Cassandra Clare owns TMI... Not me!**

Clary POV

I needed to get out and get some air. After Isabelle helped me move into my new room in the castle, I had nothing to do. I slipped out to the stable and grabbed Sundance's bridle. Pulling the reins over her head, I slipped the bit into her mouth. I buckled the straps quickly and unlatched the gate. I grabbed a handful of mane and swung up onto her bareback. As we headed out the stable doors, I heard the sound of light footsteps. Sundance's ears twitched back, indicating she heard them too. I turned my head and saw Jace. He was buckling Moonblink's girth, and then leading him out the gate. The horse's fancy tack jingled as he walked, and Jace winced and looked around. That was when he saw me, and I realized I had been watching him. He walked over, proud, graceful, and beautiful. He was like a lion, watching his prey. I noted that in that situation, I would be classified as his prey.

I shook my head. He didn't want me. All I did was exercise the King's horses and muck stalls. I was just a stable kid... Stable Master, I corrected myself.

"Clary?" He whispered loudly.

"Huh?"

"You were just zoning out there..." He whispered.

"Oh.. Sorry," I said, pulling my eyes away from him. He smirked, and vaulted into the saddle. That was impressive. Moonblink was a Trakhaner stallion, and a large one at that. They walked past me, and stopped. Jace looked back.  
>"You coming?" He asked. I nudged Sundance with my heel, and walked towards him.<p>

"Only if you can keep up." I challenged as I passed. I clicked my tongue to Sunny, and she knew what to do. She took off at a gallop, straight to our favorite trail. It was a sand trail that led to the beach. Laughing, I turned back to see Jace and Moonblink, growing smaller and smaller.

Jace POV

I looked around, to make sure that nobody was watching. I had just come out here to get some air, and sneak out for a ride, when I saw Clary. I guess one ride with her wouldn't hurt... I mean, I had to allow myself some joy in my crazy life. I was picturing a relaxing trail in mind, where we could just talk. All that changed when she took off. I sat there a minute, thinking how rude that was. I mean, can't she give the Prince a little respect? I realized that I couldn't be beaten by a girl, so I dug my heels into Moonblink's sides, and grasped his mane. Leaning forward and loosening the reins, I urged him to go faster. Just as we reached the beach, we caught up to them. We both slowed our horses to a walk, letting them catch their breath. She laughed, and turned to look at me. My stomach fluttered, but I squashed down the feeling.

"I guess you can keep up," She said breathlessly. I smirked, but felt my face fall when she said "If we are waiting for you," She giggled when she saw my smirk disappear.

"Well we were taking it easy on you girls," I countered, but she just laughed.

"Sure you were," Was all she said. We walked along in silence for a few minutes when she suddenly put her hands on Sundance's withers, swung her legs back, and dropped to the ground. She did it so gracefully, I knew she had practiced it a thousand times. Slipping the reins over Sunny's head, she took off the bridle.

"Stay close," She said, and Sundance walked over to Moonblink. I did the same thing, and took off his tack as well. They stood for a moment, looking at us, and then went to find some grass to eat.

"So..." Clary began.

"Yep," I said, popping the P. She looked at me, then grinned.

"Last one in the ocean is a rotten egg!" She called, and took off down the beach. Sundance, upon seeing her master excited, ran to chase her. I laughed as they both charged into the frothy surf. I ran after them, with Moonblink right on my heels. Clary was laughing and splashing Sundance, who was spitting the salty water onto Clary's head. I ran up from behind her, and dunked her under. She came up and looked at me, then started laughing. Sundance's shrill whinny joined her, and they shared a look. Before I knew what was coming, Clary ran up and tackled me. When I surfaced again, Sundance flicked her tail into the water, causing it to spray everywhere. Everyone laughed, and we continued to play like this for a few hours. Clary yawned, and we both headed back to the beach. The horses were back to eating grass, and Clary and I lay near them, letting the warm soil and hot sun dry our clothes. She looked so beautiful, just sitting there. Without thinking, I leaned in and kissed her. She pulled away, and looked into my eyes. Hers were filled with fear. She whistled, and Sundance came galloping over. As she passed by Clary, she grabbed a handful of mane and used the momentum of the galloping horse to swing onto her back. With no bridle, Clary spoke a few words to her, and Sundance changed direction. Instead of heading back to the castle, they were headed towards the forest. The golden horse and her rider soon disappeared into the trees.

I looked up at Moonblink, and sighed. This was bad. Really bad.


	6. Mistake?

**TMI belongs to Cassandra Clare**

**Decided not to keep anyone in suspense cuz I'm a nice person, and I'm really impatient! ;) Plus, I owed you guys a chapter from yesterday! I was listening to _That's what makes you beautiful _by One Direction, and it reminded me of Clary and Jace... :D Enjoy!**

Jace POV

I kicked the sand and cursed. I hadn't meant to kiss her...I think. It just happened. It was such a rush, my whole body was still buzzing with electricity. She had looked so horrified... Nobody ever looked horrified after kissing me. In fact, Clary was the first one to ever pull away. She looked afraid... Like she was scared of me. Like I was a monster. Like she didn't want me. But I wanted her so badly. Why was I so hung up on this girl? Society, not to mention my father, would never approve.

I looked up at Moonblink, and decided we should be getting back. They were surely looking for me by now... It wasn't easy to sneak out when you were the crown prince of Evershire. I saddled Moonblink, and swung onto his big back. Fortunately, my father didn't care if I borrowed Moonblink... Just as long as I didn't do anything stupid with him. I guess I didn't do anything stupid with the horse... I wasn't going to tell anyone... Well, maybe one person.

"Prince Jace!" I heard a voice call. Thinking it was Clary, I turned around. I was wrong.

Alec POV

I found Jace out on the beach. He was up to something, I was sure of it. He always got into trouble, and left me to clean up the mess. I guess that's what you get for being his best friend/ King's knight. At least he usually told me when he did something wrong.

"Alec!" He called, and started walking his horse in my direction.

"Yes, Sir?" I asked.

"Shut-up Alec... You know I don't like that," He smiled. I laughed, trying to seem normal. I could tell something was wrong from the way he was wrapping his hands in Moonblink's thick mane.

"Whats wrong?" I asked immediately. He looked around before speaking softly,

"You know Clary?" He asked.

"Ya, she's Izzy's friend... Why?" I looked at him.

"I... Well, I kinda... Err... I kissed her." He spat out. I stared at him, thankfully keeping my mouth from hanging open.

"You what? Shes just a stable kid!" I almost yelled. He glanced around, before correcting me,

"Stable Master."

"Even so! Jace! That's just wrong!" I sighed. This was probably just an accident... I hoped.

"I know... I couldn't help it." He sighed in return.

"Lets get you home." I said back.

Clary POV

It was getting dark, and Sundance and I were taking the long way home. I couldn't believe it. I wasn't going to tell anyone. It was beyond wrong. He was a player, getting any and every girl he wanted. That's what I was scared of. I was scared that I would fall for him even more than I already did. Izzy and I always "Appreciated his hotness" as she put it, but this was something more. The way my blood buzzed, and my skin felt like it was on fire where it made contact with his. As we made our way home, I kept replaying the scenario in my head, thinking that it must have been a mistake. There was just no way.

**Hey everyone! Hope you love this chapter (And the story!) Please let me know! I kinda know where I'm going with this story, but give me suggestions! Please Please review! As I said earlier, I'm not going to hold any chapters hostage, but I would LOVE some more reviews!**


	7. Is this Love?

**Thanks for reading! Cassandra Clare owns TMI... **

Sebastian POV

I wandered through the castle, looking for the Prince or the King. I wanted to get some more information about the size of the army, and their recent campaigns and stuff. After about half an hour, I was about to give up and head back to my "work" when I found Clary. She was walking to her room, her red hair windblown, with stray locks raining down into her face. Her expression told me that she was stressing about something, but I wasn't sure what. I guessed maybe there was a sick horse of something.

"Clary!" I called. She turned, and a smile lit up her face.

"Oh, Hey!" She smiled, "Whats up?" She asked.

"Uhh... Do u wanna hang out tomorrow?" I asked her... She was pretty hot... May as well.

"Sure!" She said happily, "Pick-nick?" She asked.

"Okay," I said. I guess we would have to ride those stupid animals. Man, I hate horses. I had no idea why Clary liked them. Probably for the same reason she looked at Jace like that. She just had bad taste.

Clary POV

Sebastian and I were going to go on a pick-nick. It should be fun... I guess I'll have to find a horse for him to ride. I guess maybe he could ride Starshine... Simon was still sick. I tried to be happy for our date, but I couldn't get Jace out of my head. Every time I closed my eyes, I could see his face, his deep, golden tan and liquid amber eyes. I went to sleep that night with that picture in my head.

The next morning, I woke up and put on my work clothes. Posting the chore list for the day, I went to take care of my section of horses. I finished quickly, and turned out Sundance and Moonblink. They ran into the field, after I told them to be back soon. I looped their halters over my arm, and walked back to the stable, whistling. I saw Jace walking down the row of stalls, and ducked into the tack room to avoid him. I backed into the corner silently, hoping he wouldn't notice me. When he walked past, I accidentally let out a involuntary sigh. He whipped around, and I stood stalk still. Unfortunately for me, the halters around my arm had other ideas, and slid to the floor with a clank.

"Clary?" He asked. I looked at him, and felt a flutter in my stomach. I did love him. I don't know how I knew, but I did.

"Yes?" I asked, surprised at how steady my voice sounded.

"I'm sorry about yesterday. It was an accident." He said carefully. I felt my face fall, but rushed to recompose it.

"Oh... Ya. I know," I replied. I felt dead. Like I was worthless. Back to the way I felt before my promotion to stable master. I looked at the floor, and bent to pick up the fallen halters.

"I guess I'll see you around." I said, and hurried to walk past him. I ran to the field and whistled for Sundance. When she came, I clung to her neck and cried. I cried because I had realized that I loved him, and that we could never be together. The strange thing was, that didn't change how I felt about him. I searched my feelings, and realized that I did, in fact, love him. Why? I'm still not sure, even to this day. I guess its just one of those things that we will never know.

Jace POV

I hated myself for it. I lied about my feelings, and told her it was an accident. It was best for both of us, I realized. It was best if she never knew how I felt. That's what I thought, at least. When I told her, I saw her face fall. She covered it quickly, but it was there. I saw it. It was that one little frown that changed my life forever. It was that frown that made me realize that I loved Clary. I don't know when I had started loving her, but it felt like I had always known, somehow. I watched her run to the horses, watched her cry. I felt like crying too, but reminded myself that I couldn't ever love her. It wasn't right. I was crown Prince of Evershire, and she was a stable girl.

**Okay I don't know about you guys, but I HATE Sebastian! Let me know what you think! Review please! I will put Clary and Sebastian's date in the next chappie! Review! :D**


	8. Picnic

**Kay so heres the new chappie! As promised, Clary and Sebastian's date is today... :) Remember that Jace thinks that he thinks that they should just be friends... O.O**

Clary POV

After a few minutes, I wiped my eyes and gave Sundance a pat on her neck. With Moonblink trailing behind, we all walked back to the stable together. I grabbed Sunny's saddle, and slipped it onto her back. Cinching her girth, I went to get Starshine. She nickered as I neared her stall, and I opened the gate. She, like Sundance, didn't need a halter or lead to stay near. We walked back to where Sundance and Moonblink were waiting, and I put her saddle on as well. I put them back into the pasture, reminding the mares not to roll. I ran back to my rooms and Izzy found me.

"Clary!" She called, "I have the perfect thing for you to wear!" I sighed. At least I didn't have to worry about picking out a dress. The one Izzy picked was light blue with white ribbon around the bottom, top, and a big white bow on the front.

"Izzy, how am I supposed to ride in this? I don't have a sidesaddle or anything," I complained.

"No worries..." She lifted up the bottom of the dress to show white riding breeches underneath. I laughed. That was just like Izzy, beautiful and practical at the same time. I slipped into the dress, thanked Izzy, and left to go back to the stables. I saw Sebastian walking over, dressed in a red shirt and black riding pants. He looked pretty good, but not nearly as good as STOP! I forced a smile and pushed Jace out of my head. Sebastian reached me and held out a basket containig our picknik lunch.

"You look great!" He exclaimed, and I blushed.

"Thanks," I replied. We walked into the paddock and I called to Sundance and Starshine. They came galloping over, followed by a curious Moonblink. I walked over to the fence where their bridles hung, and bridled the two mares. Sundance stood patiently as I stuck my left foot in a stirrup and swung my right leg over her back. Sebastian followed suit, and he led the way to the beach trail. The beach where I kissed Jace... Sundance snorted as if to remind me that I was on a date with Sebastian, not Jace.

Sebastian POV

Clary looked so hot. I would have to ask my dad if I could keep her... As a kind of pet. Maybe I would even make her my queen... She was pretty enough to have my royal children.

"Sebastian?" She asked, looking up. I had to remind myself to be nice and sweet... Two things I hate.

"Yes?" I asked as kindly as I could.

"We're here." She said slowly. I looked around, and saw that she was right. I laughed.

" I guess we are!" I forced a smile. We both dismounted and I spread out the blanket. I sat down with the basket and began to take out the food as Clary untacked the ugly beasts. I sighed inwardly, glad to be off it's back. She spoke to each one, and they walked over to a patch of grass and began to eat. I hoped I could get some information out of Clary, or at least get some action. I wasn't going to waste time on this.

Jace POV

Since I had nothing to do today, I decided to go for a ride. I hadn't seen Clary or Sebastian all morning, but hadn't put much thought to it until I saw them riding away together. Angry, I followed them. I knew I couldn't have Clary, but that didn't mean she was Sebastian's. I quickly ran to the tack room and grabbed Moonblink's bridle. With no time to put a saddle on him, I slipped the bit in his mouth and jumped on him bareback. I whispered a few commands to him, telling him to be silent. As the King's horse, he was trained to spy on enemy camps and move without being seen. We followed them to the beach where I kissed Clary. It looked like they were setting up for lunch, so I told Moonblink to stay and settled in to watch them. After a few hours of them just talking, I had a feeling like I should move closer. Slipping off Moonblink, I gave his neck a silent pat, told him to stay, and slipped to the edge of the trees. Just as I got into hearing range, Sebastian and Clary both stood up. He wrapped his arms around her, and she gave a squeal of protest. Thats when I heard their convorsation.

"Come on Clary, just one kiss," Sebastian was saying.

"No! Get away from me!" Clary exclaimed. Sebastian leaned in closer, and Clary leaned back to keep the distance between their faces. She wriggled in his arms, but he had her trapped. Looking around, I realized there was only one thing that could be done.

"Stop." I said, stepping out of the shadows.


	9. Sebastian

**I don't own TMI! It belongs to Cassandra Clare! For those of you fellow Sebastian haters out here, I'm not done with him yet, but hes gonna be more careful around the horses and Jace... He is worried that his cover is gonna be blown... O.O**

Clary POV

He held me tighter and tighter; I could feel his muscular arms trapping me. His faced moved closer to mine, those horrible, bottomless black eyes just inches from mine. I tipped my head back as far as I could, but it wasn't far enough. Just as his lips reached mine, he dropped me and ran. I fell to the ground and hit my head on a rock. I could feel the salty blood seeping into my mouth, eyes and nose. The last thing I saw before I blacked out was Jace, in all his golden glory. My Angel. Mine. And then everything went black.

Jace POV

Sebastian tried to run, but Sundance blocked his path. Trying to avoid her, he ran directly into Starshine. Trapped between the two mares, he faced an onslaught of flying hooves. Sundance and Starshine looked at each other, and kicked him in the chest at the same moment. Flying from the force of the horse's hooves, he fell backwards bleeding, and with bruises already forming. With Sebastian unconscious and the horses watching him, I ran to Clary. She groaned as I picked her up, and lifted a hand to touch her temple which was sticky with blood.

"Shhh... Your okay," I whispered. I called to Moonblink, who had been standing with Sunny and Star. He trotted over, and I put Clary onto his back. Vaulting up behind her, I quickly but my arms around Clary to keep her from falling. Whistling to the mares, I looked at Sebastian. I had to get Clary to the infirmary, and then I would come back for him. I set my heels on Moonblink's sides, and he set off at an easy canter, his back just barely rising and falling with each stride.

"Clary, you need to stay awake," I said into her ear.

"Okay," She replied.

"So... Tell me a story," I asked slowly.

"Once upon a time, there was a kingdom Evershire," She giggled, "and it is ruled by a sweet king, and a handsome prince."

"I'm sure he is," I smiled.

"There was this princess, named Clary. She was..."

"Very beautiful" Jace interrupted. Clary smiled before adding Jace's words.

"She was very beautiful, and she was invited to stay in the castle," Jace smiled, but it disappeared as he saw the flags of the castle appear over the hill. He looked back, to make sure Sundance and Starshine were still following. They were.

"We're almost there Clary," He said.

Clary POV

I was in so much pain, but it was fantastic being this close to Jace. He smelled like hay; not the musty kind, but the sweet, freshly cut type. I leaned back against his muscular chest, and inhaled. He looked down at me, and I smiled.

"How do you feel?" He asked

"Uhh... alright," I replied. It wasn't that bad, I mean when you've been kicked by a horse a couple dozen times, not much seems to hurt in comparison. He smiled down at me, and Moonblink slowed to a walk through the gates.

"I'm going to take you to the infirmary, okay?" He asked.

"No, I'm fine... I just need to wash it out," I replied.

"I really think that you should..." He began

"Go home and rest? Yes, I think so too," I finished. He sighed, and I guess he realized that I was okay.

"Fine, but I'm gonna stay and make sure you're alright. You hit your head pretty hard," He said. I smiled inwardly, but just said "Okay."

Jace POV

As we neared the castle, Clary passed out. She came too in a few seconds, but didn't seem to remember any of the events past her passing out on the beach. I filled her in, leaving out her story. She looked at me, smiled, and looked forward again. My stomach was full of butterflies, but I squashed them down. When we neared the castle, I reined in Moonblink.

Clary POV

He got off Moonblink, and I began to dismount as well. When my feet hit the ground, I got off balance and started to fall. He caught me, and I found myself staring up into his eyes awkwardly. I blushed, and pushed away from him. Opening the door to the paddock, I let the horses go in. Jace and I walked back to my rooms, and once there, I sat on the bed.

"Want anything?" He asked.

"No thanks... Actually, can you tell me a story while I go to sleep?" I asked.

"Sure," He replied, smiling. I went to the bathroom and carefully rinsed the blood from my hair. Changing into pajamas, I went back to my bedroom and slipped under the covers. Jace pulled up a chair, and began his story.

"There once was a princess named Clary..."

**Thanks so much for reading! I'm not gonna hold the next chapters hostage, but I would LOVE some more reviews! Let me know what you think, and if I should fix anything... :) Thanks!**


	10. Sister

**Cassandra Clare owns TMI. Enjoy!**

Sebastian POV

I saw Jace, and stepped back from Clary. I had to retain my sweet, innocent slave charade in front of him... He was naturally suspicious. I threw her to the ground, stepping away. I began to run, hoping that he didn't recognize me. Trying to get away, I wasn't aware of the vile creature until it was right in front of me. Turning the other way, the other one was behind me. I faced an onslaught of kicks, and flew across the beach, hitting my head on something sharp. Then I passed out.

I woke up to a rocking sensation, and realized that I was draped over a horse's withers. I tried to sit up, and the horse stopped and I dropped to the ground, landing on my feet.

"Master!" My slave gasped.

"What?" I asked, irritably.

"You are alive! I was so worried!" He said.

"Of course I'm alive you idiot. Where are we?" I asked the stupid man. He blinked, looked around, and replied, "On the way to the castle."

"Oh. How far away are we?" He gestured over the hill, and I could see the soaring walls and towers of my home. I grunted, and began to walk.

"Wouldn't you like to ride, sir?" He asked.

"I'd rather stick pins into my eyes," I replied through clenched teeth. The man shrugged, and we set off towards the castle.

I threw open the doors to the throne room, and flopped into my throne. My father looked and me, and simply said, "Back so soon?"

"Well I didn't mean to be," I said, throwing a glare at the slave who had followed me in.

"My appoligies sire, I was trying to help you. You looked so weak..." He began, but I interrupted.

"SILENCE!" I screamed, and nodded at our executioner. He walked over to the man, who fell to his knees, his forehead pressed to the floor.

"Please, no! Please!" He sobbed. I chuckled, and nodded at the executioner again. He drug the man to his feet, forcing him to march out of the room. I heard the man screaming, then everything went erily silent. I got to my feet, and looked at my father.

"I am NOT weak. And I'm going back right now." I strode out of the room, determined to not disappoint my father. I remembered something and turned around.

"Father?" I asked.

"Yes?" He replied.

"Theres a girl; her name is Clary. She is just a stable kid, but can I keep her? I like her." I asked. His face paled considerably, and he looked me square in the eye.

"What does she look like?" He demanded.

"Well she's short, and shes got red hair. And amazing green eyes. And shes an artist, and she LOVES horses, but I don't see why." I said in a rush. Father grew a little paler, and when he spoke, it was barely a whisper.

"Sebastian, Clary is your sister." He said slowly.

**Thanks so much for reading! This is just a short chapter but there WILL be some Clace tomorrow! Had to let you guys get to know Valentine and Sebastian some more... Let me know what you think! Review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Thanks so much for reading! I don't own TMI, but a nice lady named Cassandra Clare does!**

Jace POV

Clary was so beautiful when she was sleeping. Her hair was spread out on the pillow, seeming to glow softly. After a few minutes, I realized that it was just a little weird to be watching her, and quietly snuck out of her room. Walking down the hall, I went up the stairs into one of the towers. Looking out of the window, I could see everything. I could almost see the castle at Tivara. That stupid castle, with that evil man who calls himself their ruler. I thought he had a son, but I hadn't heard anything about him recently. Oh well. Valentine probably killed him or something.

I went back down into my rooms, and took a shower. After I was done, I rolled into my bed and was asleep before my head hit the pillow.

Clary POV

I woke up with a pounding headache. Sitting up, I realized that the throbbing was coming from one central area. Feeling with my fingers, I found a split on my temple. I suddenly remembered what happened last night. It was awful, except for one part. Jace. I remembered him stepping out of the trees, and the ride home. Best of all, I remember his story. It was about us, but I was a princess, and there wasn't any class difference between us. The best part about it was that he seemed to like this story too.

I walked into the bathroom, and looked in the mirror. There was a large cut along my temple, ending just above my eye. The jagged edges of the wound were starting to heal, but there would be a scar.  
>I went down to the infirmary, just to get a bandage, and they immediately tried to put me on pain medication. I politely declined, and they settled for a healing salve and a wrap. After they applied the bandage, I went out to feed the horses. Luckily, Simon was back and had already assigned the chores for the day. I went out to prepare the feed, and found Simon in the barn.<p>

"Hey Clary! Jace came by earlier and said that you wouldn't be out today... How are you feeling?" He asked.

"Alright... I'm fine," I replied, setting up the buckets for feed.

"What happened?" He asked, helping me set reach the largest, communal buckets.

"Uhh... Well Sebastian and I went to the beach, and... Well; its a long story." I finished.

"Where is he?" Simon demanded, clenching his fists, "If he laid one finger on you, I'll..." He let the threat hang in the air, and I laughed.

"Simon, you're tiny. He would snap you like a stick." I smiled, "But thanks." He smiled back, but I could tell he was upset. I opened the lid to the feed bin, and began to dish out the rations into each bucket.

Jace POV

I was bored, so I decided to go visit Moonblink. As I was walking to the stable, I saw something moving in the shadows of the nearby trees. My muscled tensed, and I stood stalk still, listening. A few seconds later, something hit me from behind, and I fell to the ground. Rolling to my feet, I whirled around, and found myself staring into familiar black eyes.

"Sebastian." I growled, whipping a knife out of it's sheath. "Get away. And NEVER come back," I snarled, pointing away from the castle with my knife.

"Awww is Jacey wacey here to save his pwetty wittle stable kid?" He sneered. "Well your right; I did come to take her," He said matter of factly. "She is my sister, after all." He smiled.

"Clary is nothing like you." I said, wondering where he came up with the idea. "Now leave." I growled

"Alright, I'm going to leave. But I'm going to come back. And I'm not leaving without her." He said, and turned to run into the woods.

**Hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you think! Review!**


	12. Traitor

**I don't own TMI but Cassandra Clare does. Enjoy!**

Jace POV

I cursed, sliding my knife back into it's sheath. I looked around to see if anyone could help me stop him, but there wasn't anyone. Thinking quickly, I realized that I should find Clary instead of going after Sebastian. If I couldn't find him, he might find Clary first. I would deal with him later. I dashed off to find Clary before Sebastian did.

Clary POV

Just as we finished distributing the feed to all the horses, Jace came running up.

"Clary! Thank goodness." He gasped, pulling me into his arms. I was confused. I pulled back, looking into his eyes.

"What?" I asked suspiciously. He laughed, and asked what I was doing.

"Uhh, well we just finished feeding, so I guess we are going to get dinner," I said.

"Clary, can you come with me to see my dad for a few minutes?" He asked.

"Why?" I asked, fearing that I had done something wrong.

"Sebastian. I'll tell you and my father at the same time." He grabbed my hand, and led me to the castle.

"I'll talk to you later Simon," I called over my shoulder.

"Alright." He said, walking away.

Jace POV

I led Clary to the throne room, throwing open the doors. I strode into the room, nodding at my father. Clary immediately swept into a graceful curtsy, but I pulled her to her feet.

"Father, we need to speak. Now." I said. I didn't normally speak so disrespectfully, but this was an emergency. Father's advisers looked at him, and he nodded for them to leave. He frowned.

"What is it Jace? That was important." He said.

"Father, remember what I told you about Sebastian? Well I just saw him a few minutes ago, and he threatened Clary. He said he was coming to get her, and then ran away towards Castle Tivara." I quickly explained. Father's frown deepened.

"We were just discussing what one of my spies said. He said that Valentine's son returned home yesterday, and then left again. They were said to be talking about marching their army here. The description of Valentine's son matches what I know of Sebastian. Sound the alarms. Get everyone inside the castle." He said, rising from his throne. He began to walk out the door, calling for guards and his battle masters as he walked. I pulled Clary to the side. She looked worried.

"Its okay Clary. I'm not going to let anything happen to you." I whispered in her ear. She looked at me, and suddenly pulled me into a tight embrace.

"Thank you." She said simply. I knew she was scared of Sebastian, even more so now that we knew of his identity. I held her at arms length, and looked at her.

"Its going to be alright." I assured her, "I'm going to stay with you." She smiled, and pulled me closer to the door.

"We should go help get everyone inside the walls," She explained. We ran to the stable, and both got out Sundance and Moonblink out. Quickly bridling the horses, we lept on bareback and galloped through the village, telling everyone to get inside the castle wall.

Clary POV

Jace actually cared about me. I was sure now that he promised to stay with me. We slowed to a trot, and started to tell all the people to get their belongings and head to the castle. I looked at Jace, and he gave me a reassuring smile. Not his usual smirk, but a legit smile. Jace and Moonblink came trotting closer.

"We need to go tell all the farmers and the people outside." He said, and I nodded. Turning Sundance's nose to the south, we galloped through the village, and out to the farm land beyond.

Simon POV

I was walking home when suddenly, out from the castle walls rode dozens of officials, yelling at everyone to get inside. I ran to my house, and began to gather my belongings. I found our cat, and put her into a basket. Calling for my mom, I found her in the kitchen, beginning to pack up all our food.

"Go get your things, Simon," She said. I ran to my room, and packed everything into a bag as quickly as possible. Running down the stairs, I found my mom holding the door for me.

"Lets go." She said, and we began to run to the castle, along with all the other citizens of Evershire.

Sebastian POV

I was running through the farms, looking for a barn to camp in for the night, when suddenly I heard hooves. I dropped to the ground and froze. I turned my head ever so slightly, and what I saw made me chuckle. It was two horses, one was golden with a cream mane and tail, and the other a dark blue color. Riding them were none other than Clary and Jace. I was ready to seize this opportunity to take them both, to kill Jace and to take Clary home. Who cares if she was my sister. I pulled out my knife, and spun it in my hand, testing its balance. I was ready to pounce, when Sundance suddenly stopped. I heard Clary, clicking and looking around, asking the stupid animal what was wrong. Clary was an idiot, talking to the beast like it could understand her.

Clary POV

We were cantering along the trail to the first farm house, when Sundance slid to a stop, and her muscles suddenly went rigid. Moonblink's was not nearly as prominent, but he still sensed something too. I stroked her neck, and talked to her softly. I clicked my tongue, and squeezed my calf into her ribs. When that didn't work, I looked around. Following Sunny's line of vision, I saw a figure ahead to the side of the trail. Instinct told me that it was Sebastian. I turned to Jace, still talking to Sundance to keep up the illusion that we hadn't seen him. I mouthed _Sebastian_ to Jace, and discreetly nodded my head in his direction. Jace's head dipped in understanding, and he told Moonblink to walk forward. He looked around, pretending not to notice the rival prince, but occasionally glancing at the spot where he lay. As Moonblink neared his hiding spot, Jace pressed his heels into the horse's ribs, and the stallion lurched forward, right into the bush where Sebastian was hiding seconds earlier. Jace had anticipated that the other boy would leap out to the left, and Jace vaulted down, drawing his knife in the air as his boot smashed into Sebastian's jaw.

**Dun Dun DUUNNN! The plot thickens! Thanks for reading! Please review! Stay tuned for a big fight in the next chapter!**


	13. Fight

**You lucky readers! Two chappies in one day! Thanks for reading! I don't own any characters... They belong to TMI and that belongs to Cassandra Clare!**

Jace POV

I heard his jaw bone crack, and Sebastian reared back, his arms flailing as he tried to regain his balance. I lashed out with my knife, feeling the satisfying tension in the weapon as it struck the flesh of his left upper arm. He lashed out with his own knife, and I felt its sharp edge biting into my rib cage. Stepping back to dislodge the blade, I smashed the butt of my knife into his temple. He fell to the ground, and rolled to the side as I lept on top of the spot where he was only seconds before. Suddenly I was hit from the side, as Sebastian tackled me and we slid through the leaves on the ground. We rolled, slashing with our knifes and battling for the upper hand. I could hear Clary giving commands to the horses to back off. I knew they were trying to help, but Clary was holding them back for fear that they might hurt me on accident. Distracted momentarily by the thought, Sebastian used it to his advantage. We crashed into the trunk of a large tree, with him straddling me. He knocked my knife out of my hands, and I lashed out with my arms and legs. Knocking him onto his back, I pinned his arms under my knees. I shifted my weight to make a grab for his knife, but he used this to free his left hand and pull a dagger out of a small sheath from inside his shirt. I screamed as I felt the sharp dagger slide through the flesh and muscle of my thigh, stopping only when it touched the femur. Ripping the dagger out, I pressed it to Sebastian's throat, making a shallow gash. I looked up for less than a second to look for the horses, and Sebastian twisted his body out from under mine. He grabbed my shoulders and slammed me to the ground, making my shoulder snap. Pinning my arms to my sides with my knees, he sat heavily on my chest, forcing the breath from my lungs.

"Any last words?" He asked, holding the point of his knife to my throat.

"One sec, let me think..." I asked, trying to delay him. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Moonblink's hind leg rising behind Sebastian's head. The boy cocked his head, pretending to be confused.

"What was that?" He asked sarcasticly, pressing the blade deeper into my skin, and pinching my windpipe in the process. I coughed, seeing red spots at the edges of my vision. I pushed my head into the ground, trying to get away from the sharp weapon.

"I said, do you have any last words? What about you, _Sister?_" He growled, leaning in closer. Suddenly, bits of Sebastian rained down on my, as his head was snapped off it's place on his neck. For a moment, everything was silent except the gurgle of blood that spilled out of Sebastian's neck, pushed out by his still beating heart. Then the head rolled under a bush, the blood that drained from it staining the ground and low branches red. The body went limp, and I was able to draw in a deep breath. His hot blood dripped on my face, and I struggled to get out from under his decapitated body. That's when I realized that I was covered in blood, and the I was utterly exhausted.

Clary POV

I was terrified for Jace, scared that the horses wouldn't get a chance to help him, and he would die at the hands of Sebastian. I held Sundance's mane, creating a bridge with her reins to keep her from charging in and ruining the stallion's plan. Once the deed was done, I slid off Sundance and ran to Jace. He was trying to stand up, favoring one leg, and I realized he was covered in blood. He looked like he was about to pass out, his face was so pale. Taking him by the hand, I led him to Sundance, and helped him on. Gathering up his knife, I took off his shirt and sliced it into several strips. Roughly bandaging the wounds, I climbed on behind him and wrapped my arms around him to help staunch the flow of blood coming from his ribs, and to keep him on the horse. We took off at a slow, ground eating canter with Moonblink following directly next to us. He kept glancing over at Jace, making sure his master was safe.

"Jace, stay awake." I whispered in his ear.

"Hmm?" He asked, leaning his head back to look at me. "How is it that we always end up in this situation?" He asked, grinning.

"It's not a highly favorable situation I might add," I said back.

"Mhh, I don't know about that." He replied, leaning his head back onto my shoulder. I smiled, but assured myself that he was just in a lot of pain.

"Alright Jace." She said.

We neared the castle, and servants came rushing out from every gate and window. Jace, being the stubborn hero that he is, waved them all off, telling them to go get the farmers and bring them in. They hesitated, but he called, "Do it!" and they rushed off. Riding right up to the door, I saw Simon and called him to take the horses. I slid down from Sundance's back, and caught Jace as he slid unsteadily to the ground. Simon led the horses away quickly, and I put Jace's arm around my shoulders and helped him limp into the infirmary. The nurses quickly asked him to remove his clothes, and I quickly exited the room.

"Clary, stay." He said quietly. I shook my head, and told him "I'll be back as soon as I tell your father." I went into the throne room as they stitched up his wound, and checked him for others. I quickly relayed the story to the king, who sent out men to collect the body. He then said that I wasn't needed, but I could stay to discuss plans if I wanted. I politely refused, and then went back to the infirmary to check on Jace. He was sleeping when I got there, wearing shorts and nothing but a bandage circling his ribs. I could see his muscles, and forced myself to look away. Drawing up a chair, I sat down, and waited for him to wake up. I hadn't been in there for five minutes when he stirred, and tried to sit up.

"Clary? What happened?" he asked sleepily.

"You got stitched up... You're all fixed!" I tried to sound cheery. He smiled in return, and lay back against his pillows.

"I'm glad he's dead." He said quietly.

"Me too." I replied after a while. We sat in silence for a few minutes, when he spoke up.

"What did he mean when he called you sister?" He asked. I shrugged, and responded,

"I don't know." I sighed. I guess we never would know.

**Hope you enjoyed! As I have said in almost every chapter, I would LOVE reviews, but I'm not going to hold the next chapter hostage for them... ;D Prepare for a full scale WAR in the coming chapters!**


	14. Love

**Thanks for reading! Cassandra Clare owns TMI... Enjoy!**

Jace POV

Sebastian's last words were strange. Why would he call Clary his sister? It was probably some weird joke they shared. She probably just didn't want to tell me... I looked up at her and was caught by the deep pit of her emerald eyes.

"Jace?" She asked.

"Ya?" I responded, taking in a slow breath to stretch out my nearly healed ribs.

"How do you feel?" She asked.

"Oh, fine." I said, laughing at the look on her face, "I'm almost all better," She laughed, probably thinking I was joking. She obviously didn't know what kind of magic the nurses here could do; especially for the kingdom's most handsome prince. I smiled back, and looked at her. She was so pretty, if I was standing, my knees would go weak. I didn't know why. I mean, she wasn't much different from all the other women. I mean, the only thing was that she wasn't throwing herself into me. Yet. I wanted that to happen, but she knew that she wasn't worth anything. She was nothing. Except that didn't change how I felt. I couldn't let her know. It would be embarrassing when she didn't feel the same way. That would be a first. Pull yourself together Jace! Shes just a girl. And she's not yours.

"Jace?" Clary asked, pulling me out of my reminiscing.

"Ya?" I asked distractedly.

"Why did you ask me to stay?" She asked.

"I... err... I wanted someone to talk to," I said slowly. I couldn't tell her that it was because I think I loved her. That was just weird... She loved me, I mean who didn't?

"Oh," She replied, looking away. I frowned, wondering why she was disappointed.

"Clary?" I asked, "Whats wrong?"

"Nothing," She said, a little too quickly. Okay, something was up with her.

Clary POV

Did he figure it out? Was I really that obvious? How could I love him? I didn't know, but I was sure that he didn't return the feelings. He would probably be disgusted.

"Clary, tell me." He said patiently.

"Oh... It's nothing. You'd get upset." I said slowly.

"I won't. I promise. Please tell me?" He asked, standing up slowly.

"Jace! Get back into bed! You will hurt yourself!" He smiled a little, and unwrapped the bandage. There was nothing but a faint scar where he had been near mortally wounded.

"What are you?" I asked, backing up against the wall.

"Clary, relax. They just put a healing salve on it. It's all better. Now tell me," He said, moving towards me. I shook my head, relaxing my ridiculous thoughts. I wasn't sure if I should tell him, but he looked so sincere. I took a shaky breath, and decided to tell him. He might like me back... I mean, why else would he spend so much time with me?

"I... Err... I think I might... umm... like you... not as a friend." I stammered.

"Not as a friend? Then how? Just like all the other little girls? Want to come here?" He asked, lifting an eyebrow and patting his lap. "You're not up to my usual standard, but I guess you will do for tonight." I shook my head as he smirked.

"You disgust me." I said bluntly, and turned to leave.

"Clary! Don't leave!" He called after me. I turned back, tears threatening to spill. I had trusted him.

"What?" I snapped, spinning to face him.

"Clary, I was kidding. I'm sorry." He said. I hesitated, then remembered all the broken hearts and Izzy's "Appreciating his hotness".

"Look, Jace, you are not. You meant that and you know it. It is disgusting how you play girls. You don't know what people say about you, because if you had any idea, you would curl up in a corner and die of embarrassment." I yelled, before spinning on my heel and slamming the door behind me. I began to run, pulling my hair down, and wiping the tears that flowed down my cheeks. I ran into the stable and out the back door to the paddock. Once there, I found myself at the gate that led out to the village. Not thinking, I squeezed through the gap in the railings, the ones that were too small for anyone but me. I ran to the edge of the forest, and looked back. I could see a tiny Jace, standing at the gate and yelling for a guard to get it open.

"Clary! Get back here! Its not safe out there!" He yelled. I stood there, with tears flowing down my face. I looked past Jace and saw Sundance, leaning against the fence. I waved to her, and she nickered, backing up to jump the fence. She cleared it easily, and burst through the gates just as the guard opened them. He screamed as she dashed around him, running to me. Jace ran to me as well, but he wasn't fast enough. I grabbed Sundance's mane as she galloped past, using her momentum to fling myself onto her back. Moonblink whinnied franticly, and I allowed Sundance to stop and look back. She called back to him, and he squealed for her to come back.

"Clary! Wait! I'm sorry! You can't leave!" Jace yelled, stopping to catch his breath. I looked at him, disgusted. At myself, mostly. I can't believe I trusted him.

"You haven't been sorry to any of the other girls. I have every reason to leave. Goodbye, Jace." I said quietly, and pressed my heel to Sundance's side. She spun on her hind legs, and took off at a gallop.

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Review please! I would love some criticism too! Let me know what I can do better!**


	15. Run away

**Hey everyone! Thanks sooo much for all the helpful comments! I just read chapter 14 again and realized that Clary seemed really stupid... I didn't mean it like she was super sensitive, she just remembered that Jace was an epic player and that she didn't want to be involved with him cuz hes really rude but she didn't see it much until then... She was worried that she would fall for him and then get hurt. Hope that cleared it up! :) Thanks again!**

Jace POV

Clary left me. I didn't deserve her. She was so sweet; so pure. And I was me. I can categorize all the girls in the kingdom. There's those that want me: All of them. Those I can get: Almost all of them. Those that I can't get: Clary and Izzy. Girls I want: Clary. Figures.

I shook my head. She was gone, but she might come back. I wasn't going to wait on her. I needed to get my mind off her, or I would be easily killed in the upcoming war. We couldn't send an army, or even a few people out to get her; we needed everyone here to protect the castle. I went to quiet Moonblink, who was still whinnying at the fence. I knew that he was searching for Sundance, and he wouldn't readily accept the fact that she was gone.

After putting a few other horses out with Moonblink, I headed inside for a long shower. I still smelled of the salve... It was making my eyes water. After I smelled better, I checked my wounds. There was nothing left except faint scars.

I walked into the throne room, to help with the planning. The guard from the gate was there, animatedly describing Clary.

"Jace!" My father called, beconing me over with a frantic wave of his hand.

"Do you know who Clary's parents are?" He asked. How was I supposed to know?

"Umm... I don't know," I said slowly, "Why do you ask?"

"We think that Clary may be the daughter of Jocelyn and Valentine." He said quickly. He went on to explain how Jocelyn had come here, but not many people (except for him) knew she was running from Valentine.

"I knew she was nothing like Valentine, and that she had a baby. Her baby was born, and I thought nothing of it until now. The baby is Clary. She is the daughter of Valentine." I felt my head spinning and grabbed my throne and sat down on it.

"So she was spying? Just like Sebastian?" I asked nervously. If so, then she was a really good actress.

Clary POV

I had no idea where I was going... I just had to get away from Jace. He was a terrible person, and even though I knew he was joking, those comments were seeded in truth. There was nobody who had run through so many women as Jace did. If I let him in, I would just become another one of those ladies that he took advantage of. I wasn't going to let that happen. Not now, not ever.

**Hey everyone! Sorry this is so short! I had a HUGE English project that I procrastinated on that is due tomorrow, and I just finished it... UGG... I will try to update faster! Thanks for reading! Review!**


	16. Back again

**Thanks for reading! Enjoy!**

Clary POV

We stopped once it started getting dark. I didn't know where we were, but hopefully Sundance could get us home. I mean, if I wanted to go back. Aww who was I kidding? I needed to go back. I had no food for myself or Sunny, and no shelter, and no water. And no Jace, my mind subconciously added. I smacked my own arm, reminding myself that I didn't need Jace; didn't want him. I wasn't going to let thoughts of him into my head anymore. It could be dangerous out here anyways. I looked around, but couldn't see anything. The liquid shadows concealed everything; the forest was a net, just waiting to snag me. I dismounted, and gave Sundance a pat on the neck. Her fur was shaggy, because I hadn't had time to clip it. I sure was grateful for this now, as I wrapped my cloak around me a little tighter. At least she wouldn't get cold. I looked around again, hoping for some indicator as to where we were. As before, all I could see was the inky darkness, swallowing up everything but the faint glow of light that rebounded off of the mane of the Palomino mare.

I snuggled up to a small stand of trees, piling the fallen leaves, dry and crisp, around my legs. Sundance grazed quietly nearby, and I called out to her,

"Sundance, stay close," I said quietly. I thought about Jace. I realized that I was pretty harsh on him... He was just kidding. He wasn't that bad; maybe he would be different for me. After thinking about it for a few minutes, I decided that he was different around me. He probably liked me back. After a few minutes of thinking about it, I had convinced myself that I should talk to him and just confess. I would never know otherwise, and the worst that could happen was that he said he didn't feel the same way. I'll go back, and talk to him as soon as possible, I promised myself.

I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, and suddenly felt freezing cold. I strained my ears to hear anything, but only heard my blood rushing inside my ears. I stood up and my hand went to my belt, where I kept a small, throwing dagger. I gripped the hilt and called out into the shadows.

"Who is there?" I asked loudly, clutching the knife in front of my heart. I heard a low chuckle behind me, and I whirled around, lashing out with my dagger. I felt it catch, and then tear through fabric. Straining my eyes, I found myself looking at a large man. When he spoke again, I recognized the voice.

"Geeze Clary! Trying to kill me?" He said.

"Simon? What are you doing here?" I asked, straining my eyes to catch a glimpse of my friend.

"Looking for you," He laughed. He whistled, and Starshine came over. He got onto her bareback, and held out a hand for me.

"You should ride with me... Sundance looks tired." He said simply. I got on behind him, and wrapped my hands around his waist.

"Sundance, come on. Lets get home." I said to the mare. She didn't look tired, but I guess she wasn't. She had fantastic stamina. I was too tired myself, and decided to let it go. I fell asleep with my head resting on Simon's shoulder. He shook me awake when we reached the stable, and I slid down from the dark horse. I gave her a pat on the neck, and turned to my golden mare. I wrapped my arms around her and gave her a kiss on the forehead. I opened the gate to the paddock, and Moonblink was leaning against the fence. Sundance immediately galloped over to the stallion, who proceeded to lick Sunny's muzzle. I smiled, and let Starshine into the meadow as well. I was closing the gate when I realized how tired I was. Oh well. I guess talking to Jace could wait until tomorrow. I needed to get some sleep. I walked into the castle, and started to head to the stairs that led to my second floor room. As I neared the stairwell, I heard strange noises. As I was walking around the corner, I saw a couple making out. I sighed and was about to go around them when they looked up. I saw a familiar face. And it was Jace.

Jace POV

I walked down the hallway, heading to the barracks. I needed to "Keep up with my training" as my father put it. Whatever. It's not like I was going to be allowed to fight anyways. I wish I was... Then I could at least show off some more; I mean, its not like I was going to get killed. I mean, I already killed their prince. There probably wasn't anyone else who I couldn't take. I was rounding the corner of the cold, stone stairwell when I literally ran into Aline Penhallow. She was one of the beautiful girls that I hadn't got to yet.

"Hey Jace," she said, winking. She looked me up and down, her eyes taking in my every detail.

"Like what you see?" I asked, smirking. She nodded and stepped closer to me. I raked my eyes over her, taking in every detail. I looked back up to her eyes just as her lips crashed down on mine. I pushed her back against the wall to deepen the kiss. I looked up as I heard someone coming around the corner. To my utter disbelief, it was Clary. And she looked as mad as a cat gets when you drop it into a lake. At midnight. In the middle of Winter. With painted claws. Dressed in a dog costume.

**Hey everyone! Hope you love this chapter! Thanks for understanding that I can't update more than once (Or sometimes twice) a day because I have school! Please REVIEW! Feel free to give me some flames! **


	17. Rage

**Enjoy!**

Clary POV

I ran up the steps, hearing someone close on my heels. I took the steps three at a time, not worrying that if I fell, I could easily break a leg on the cold stone steps. I swept into my rooms and slammed the door shut behind me. I leaned my back against it and slid down until I was sitting on the floor. I felt like crying, but no tears came. I just sat there, for some time, and then I eventually fell asleep.

My dream was riddled with nightmares. There were some about loosing Luke, and my mother, and Sundance. Mostly, though, it was about the Tivarians storming the castle, and Jace turning traitor against his own kingdom. That wouldn't happen, but it still scared me senseless. I had seen him fight Sebastian, and had reason to believe that Moonblink would do whatever Jace asked him to. That was one of the many, many great things about horses. They were loyal. In this case though, if Jace was a turncoat, the horse's loyalty would not be so great. Thankfully though, there was no reason for Jace to turn traitor, and he had killed the Prince of the rival kingdom. He wouldn't do that if he was siding with them. I shook my head, and went back to bed.

Jace POV

I ran after Clary, chasing her to her room. I needed to talk to her. She was the one. Kissing Aline had made me realize that I needed Clary; not anyone else. I stood outside her door for some time, contemplating what to do. After about an hour and a half of standing there, I went back to my rooms and wrote her a note.

Clary,

I am sorry. I need to talk to you. Please meet me at the stable tomorrow; any time. I am sorry.

Love,

Jace

I slid the note under her door, and walked back to go to bed. I would need some sleep, as I would probably spend all of tomorrow waiting for her. I hope she came... I needed to tell her what I had realized. That I loved her.

Clary POV

I woke up to the sound of quiet footsteps. I got out of bed, and was heading over to the door when I saw a small, white envelope of paper. I tore it open, and quickly scanned the note. Grabbing a pen off my dresser, I scrawled a large, two letter word onto the back of the note. Throwing a robe on over my clothes, I ran to his room and shoved the paper in between the floor and the bottom of the door. Running back to my room, the tears started to flow. I hastily dragged a hand across my eyes, wiping away the salty drops. I went to my bed, and decided that I could live with ignoring him. He wouldn't show up in the stable as early as I was going to get there. I would just throw myself into my work, and avoid him at all costs. If he tried to come near me, I always had Sundance and Simon to help.

The next morning, I woke up and checked the clock. It was late; almost noon. I cursed myself and rushed to get on my work clothes. I pulled on a gray tank top and a purple plaid shirt on top. I pulled on a pair of breeches, and ran a comb through my hair. Running out to the stable, I saw that everyone had gotten to their work. Seeing Simon hauling hay, I walked over to him.

"Simon! Thanks for getting everyone..." My voice trailed off as I looked at him. He was covered in mud, and had welts on his arms. He had been beaten.

"Oh my gosh! What happened?" I asked quickly. He took a sudden interest in the ground, and then looked up at me. His lip was split and he had a black eye.

"Nothing," He said quietly. I stared at him in horror. He hadn't been beaten before this. He was always very good; and always did what his superiors asked.

"Simon, who did this?" I asked, getting angry. I was going to sick Sundance on whoever did this. I might even get Moonblink too. Heck, I was ready to attack them myself.

"Clary, don't worry about it," He said, looking around nervously.

"Simon, I am going to ask you one last time. Who. Did. This?" I asked through clenched teeth.

"Jace" He mumbled, breaking down.

"What? Why?" I whispered as loudly as I dared.

"Aline was bragging about kissing him and then she was saying how stupid you were because you thought Jace was yours, and she kept talking about you. I couldn't take it, and told her that Jace was an idiot for not wanting you. She said that he did want you, and then Jace came over and he got pissed. He started yelling at Aline and yelling for someone to beat me. Then they did." He said quietly. I looked at him in disbelief, and then felt the rage boiling up in the pit of my stomach.

"Where is he?" I asked slowly.

"Clary, don't." He said, taking a hold of my arm. I ripped it out from his grasp and strode off to the barn.

"Simon, take the rest of the day off. That's an order." I called over my shoulder. I didn't throw my weight around like that often, but it was nice to be able to do it. Legally, he had to obey, because I was of superior ranking. I stormed off, my fists clenched, to find Jace.

Jace POV

I saw a figure walking towards me. Oh good, Clary was coming. I was worried she wouldn't come. Who was I kidding? She would not even have to consider not coming. She wanted me. That much was evident from her reaction. She came closer, and I realized that she was angry. Even more so than last night. I wonder why...

"JACE WAYLAND!" She screamed, breaking into a run. I began to step backwards, before turning to run. I was too late. She slammed into me, and we both fell onto the ground. I twisted just before the impact, so that I was on my back. Any other time, I would have liked to point out to Clary that she was straddling me in a very awkward position, but she looked mad enough to spit.

"I was mad when you started playing me, and even more so when I ran away. I was supremely pissed when I came back to confess that I loved you, only find you making out with that WITCH! But this, oh this, has crossed the line. You have gone too far, Prince Jace." She said, her voice rising on each word. When she said my name at the end, she spat it out, as if it left a bad taste in her mouth. I knew what was coming next, but didn't try to stop her. There was a crack, as her hand made contact with my cheek. Seconds later, I felt the sting. Man, that tiny little girl could pack a punch. I quickly went over her whole speech in my head. Only one part stuck. … 'I loved you," I rolled out from under her, stood up, and wrapped my arms around her small waist. Pulling her to her feet, I pressed my lips against hers.

**Hope you loved it! Thanks for reading! Please review! I'm STILL not going to hold chapters hostage, but I would LOVE some more reviews! : D**


	18. Flashback

**Hey Everyone! Thanks for reading! I'm feeling evil (And I don't have much time), so all you guys get for today is a little update on whats happening in Tivara... TMI belongs to Cassandra Clare**

Valentine POV

I listened to the sound of another slave being beheaded... He had just brought me the news of Sebastian. He was such a good son. He always did everything I asked and was such a valuable fighter... Oh well. I could always have more. Suddenly, I was struck by a thought. Sebastian had said that Clary was at the castle. I could take her back, and get Jocelyn too. We were storming the castle anyways; it would be a simple matter to capture them. Jocelyn was one of my most prized wives. She was beautiful, and also was actually decent at making plans for the kingdom.

"Jonathan!" I called for my favorite warrior, "I want you to get Jocelyn and Clary Fray, and bring them back to me as soon as the castle is mine. You can begin to prepare the troops. We leave in a three day's time."

"Of course, my king," He said, bowing low before sweeping out of the room. I couldn't help but notice how graceful and balanced his movements were. That's what made him such a great fighter. Well, part of it anyways. He moved quickly and silently, with cat like reflexes. Like a panther, and just as deadly. The other reason was that he wasn't afraid to kill. He wasn't afraid to die. It was more like he was daring someone to take him. He was ready to take life, but seemed unwilling to give it. For all the fights he had been in, he wore surprisingly little scars. Nobody knew how many fights he had been in, exactly, because nobody has lived to tell the tale. Nobody, that is, except for Jace Wayland, crown prince of Evershire.

_Flashback:_

_Jace rolled to his feet, regaining the upper hand on Jonathan. They were sparring, as the kingdoms often used to do. All sparring matches had been canceled after this incident. Jace took a knife out of it's sheath, and lunged forward. Jonathan easily parried the thrust with his own blade, and drew a throwing knife from inside his cloak. He held the balanced knife loosely, aiming for his rival's heart. Suddenly, as if reading Jonathans mind, Jace fell to his stomach and rolled into the other boy's ankles. Jonathan dropped to the ground, and Jace pounced on top of him. Jace held the knife to Jonathon's throat, waiting for him to tap out. When he didn't, Jace let some of his weight rest on Jonathon's stomach, causing the air to rush out of his lungs. Jonathan suddenly flipped onto his stomach and bucked wildly, Jace flying off and rolling to his feet. Before he could spin around to face Jonathan, the light blade of the throwing knife buried itself into Jace's back, near his left shoulder blade. The boy collapsed, and everyone began rushing to him. Those who didn't ran at Jonathan, who was quickly driven out of the kingdom. Jace, on the other hand, woke up in the infirmary a week later, having no recollection of the incident._

**Thanks for reading! Please review! I'm sorry I couldn't tell you about Jace and Clary today... I promise I will post it tomorrow! REVIEW PLEASE! :D**


	19. Princess

**Hey everyone! Here is the chapter that you have been waiting for! Enjoy!**

Clary POV

Crack! My hand stung from the impact, so I hoped his face was in some serious pain. It wasn't for kissing me. It was for beating Simon. He looked at me, shocked, as if he couldn't believe I would strike the prince.

"Now you know how it feels," I said shortly. I looked around, uncomfortable with this situation. After several moments, he spoke.

"Why did you come back?" He asked.

"Because I couldn't keep Sundance away from Moonblink for too long," I smiled.

"That's it?" He asked slowly.

"No," I admitted.

"Then why? So you could spy on us for your father?" He asked. I looked at him as if he was speaking nonsense.

"What? I don't have a father..." I said.

"What do you mean? Of course you have a father. Do you really expect me to believe that killed himself crap?" He asked, his voice rising.

"Jace, I have no idea what you are talking about," I said, hearing my frustration starting to seep into my voice.

Jace POV

If it was any other person, I would say that either she didn't know, or she was a really good actress. Knowing Clary, it was the first option. Clary wasn't the kind of person to lie, and she was a terrible actress. All her emotions were plainly written across her face.

"Clary, we found out that Sebastian was your brother, making Valentine your father." I said slowly, unsure of how to tell her.

"You're kidding, right?" She asked, her face showing the worry she felt.

"No." I said quietly, "It's true." She threw her arms around me, all her anger forgotten.

"I love you, Jace," She said quietly.

"I love you, Clary," I replied. Why was she doing this?

"Don't you see?" She asked urgently. No. I didn't see. What was she getting at? I shook my head.

"Valentine is my father, right?" She asked.

"Yes," I confirmed.

"So what does that make me?" She asked. Understanding dawned, and I smiled.

"A princess!" I said excitedly. I kissed her again, feeling the fire ignite in my blood.

Simon POV

I tried to run after Clary, but the bruises and cuts on my legs and body lit on fire and burned like I was doused in acid. I sat on the ground, stretching out my sore muscles. From here, I could see Jace and Clary, who was running toward him. I just hoped she wouldn't do anything stupid. I watched in disgust as he kissed her, and she kissed him right back. Clary might not know it, but I really liked her. As more than a friend. I would even say that I loved her. And I was planning on telling her soon. Then she wouldn't get too caught up with Jace... What did they think they were doing? I mean, seriously. Clary was a stable kid and he was the prince. It would never work. I looked over again, and saw them talking animatedly and then hugging. Then, Jace kissed her again. This had to stop. I got to my feet and began to walk over to them.

Clary POV

I was beyond excited. I was making out with Jace when I heard a familiar voice.

"What do you think you're doing?" Simon was saying angrily. Jace pulled his lips away and sighed.

"Am I going to have to get you beaten again? Did you not understand the first time?" Jace was saying, talking to Simon like he was a tiny puppy that had just peed on the carpet, been punished, and then came back inside and pooed on the floor. I elbowed the golden boy in the ribs and turned face him.

"Jace!" I scolded.

"Relax Clary! Kidding!" He said, pointing to himself.

"Now you," He said, turning back to Simon, "Don't you have some stalls to muck?" Simon opened his mouth to say something, but I spoke first.

"Actually, I gave him the rest of the day off." I said plainly. Jace looked at me then shrugged.

"You heard the woman. Now be gone!" Jace called dramatically.

"Clary, I..." Simon was interrupted by a loud sigh from Jace.

"Clary, I need to talk to you," He said quickly, eying Jace.

"Later," I said. Simon threw me a look that said traitor, and limped off to his room above the stable.

**Hope you loved it! Please REVIEW! :)**


	20. Aline?

**Thanks for reading! Cassandra Clare owns TMI**

Simon POV

I walked off to my room. It is so unfair. Clary gets everything she has ever wanted. I mean, just looking at our rooms. She has a common room that she shares with Isabelle. Then, she has a dining room (Not that she ever uses it because she eats in the dining hall with the Royals) and a bedroom. Her bed is probably made of down, and now she finds out that shes the princess? And that Jace loves her?

Uhh, no. Thats where I'm going to draw the line. She is mine, and Jace can go and make out with all the other girls. I opened the door and looked at my pitiful bunk. I closed my eyes for a moment, and realized how tired I was. Man, getting the crap beaten out of you makes you sleepy... I closed the door and walked over to my bed and lay down. I swear, I was asleep before my head even hit the pillow.

Izzy POV

I ran into Clary, who was walking hand in hand with Jace. They were both laughing and talking, and heading back to the castle. What was with this? Didn't she know who Jace was? What he was? What he did?

"Clary" I called across the grass. I saw her look around for a second before her eyes came to rest upon me. She turned to Jace and whispered something, and then released his hand and ran towards me.

"Izzy! I have so much to tell you!" She called. I watched Jace as he watched Clary. When she reached me, he turned away and walked the rest of the way to the castle, turning back to glance at us a few times. I turned back to Clary.

"What is up with you? Are you mad?" I whisper yelled.

"Izzy, hes different now. Hes changed. I'm sure." She said quietly.

"Whatever. Just be careful. And know that I will say I told you so when things go bad." I told her. She laughed.

"Its not like that, Izzy," She replied. I sighed. She was going to get it.

"So what was it that you wanted to tell me?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Oh ya! So Jace and I just found out that Valentine is my father!" She said loudly and quickly.

"You father?... But that would make you..." I said slowly, realization dawning on me.

"A Princess" She finished for me. I felt my jaw drop.

Jace POV

I walked into my rooms, and began to undress to put on my pajamas. As I pulled my shirt over my head, I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. I braced myself, my hand reaching for the dagger that I kept in my belt.

"Jace," A familiar voice purred.

"What do you want, Aline?" I said bitterly.

**I'm sooooooooooo00000000 sorry this was so short, and that I haven't updated in forever! I WILL update tomorrow too... I promise! Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed! Please review!**


	21. Bad Girl

**Hey everyone! Here's the chappie for today! Enjoy!**

Aline POV

Jace looked smokin' hot with no shirt on. His golden skin gave off a radiant glow that lit up the dim room, casting the darkness back into the far corners. He turned when I spoke, his face twisting up like he smelled something bad.

"What?" He snarled.

"I just thought you might need a little... relaxing... after that stupid stable girl bothered you all day," I said calmly.

"She's no stable girl, as you call her. She is the blood princess of Tivara, daughter of Valentine." He said, unable to contain his anger. I let out a small gasp, then recovered from my surprise.

"Oh. You mean the evil Valentine? The one who is trying to destroy us? Thats her father? And you don't find this suspicious in the least?" I asked him. His brow furrowed as he considered this.

"She didn't know. And shes not like that." He finally said, "And you need to leave."

"Fine... But doesn't it worry you, just a little, to know that you had to consider her innocence?" I said over my shoulder, closing the door behind me as I left. Once in the hall I allowed myself a smile. Just like Valentine always told me, there's always something you can use to your advantage. And Clary, well, she was my advantage to get close to Jace. That was another thing he taught me. Always have a backup plan. In case you haven't figured it out yet, I'm that backup plan. Even if his army isn't able to take the castle, I will make Jace my husband. I will become the Queen, and then kill him after a year or so. Then, I will marry one of my father's men, and unite the kingdoms. He was falling for Clary, unfortunately, but it was easy to plant that seed of doubt in his mind. All I needed to do was tend to that seed, and water it with new suspicion. I couldn't ever let it die.

Jace POV

With Aline gone, I could think about what she said. Clary wasn't like that... Was she? I quickly shoved the thought out of my mind. She was sweet, and kind. She was that little fiery red head, the one who was an amazing artist, and the one who loved horses so much. I smiled as I thought of her. She was the one. I was going to marry her. She would be my queen.

Clary POV

Izzy and I were walking to her room when I caught a glimpse of Aline running out of the castle. She was headed towards the gate. I nudged Izzy with my elbow, and we both looked after her. As she began to near the wall, we turned to follow her. Keeping low to the ground, we quickly scurried after her. She looked around when she got to the gate, and slid open a small door. Slipping through the door and closing it behind her, we lost sight of Aline. We quickly ran the rest of the way to the wall, and slowly slid open the compartment. It was about the size of a dog door, so we crawled through, emerging through the other side on our knees. We waited for a few seconds, listening for any sign of Aline. It was Izzy who heard it, and silently pointed in the direction of Tivara. I looked at her, and watched as she shrugged.

"Follow?" She whispered. I silently nodded once, and we set off after her.

Izzy POV

We had been on the trail for a few hours. Luckily, Aline wasn't skilled at silent or unseen movement, so we had no problem following her. She didn't expect anyone to be following her, so she kept to a brisk jog, not looking back once. It was getting dark when she decided to stop for the night. We stopped just outside her camp, close enough so that we could watch her, but not so close that she would see us. Once she fell asleep, we decided to do the same. Clary volunteered to watch, and I didn't object.

In the morning, when I woke up, Clary and Aline were both gone. And there was a trail of blood on the ground.

**Thanks for reading! Like it? Love it? Hate it? Let me know! PLEASE REVIEW! I really want to get to 100! We are almost there! :)**


	22. War

**Hey everyone! So sorry I haven't updated in forever... my parents blocked FF for a while there... Anyways... Enjoy!**

**Oh yes, and as always, all the characters belong to the lovely Cassandra Clare.**

Jace POV

I wandered around the castle, looking for Clary or Izzy. Once I searched the whole castle and stable, I started to worry. I started to ask around, but nobody had seen them since this morning. I was about to go inside again when I heard shouts from the western walls. Within a minute, a blue signal flame went up, and the alarm began to sound. It was finally happening. We were being attacked.

I ran into the armory and grabbed my sword and shield. The Battle master was yelling at everyone to get to the walls, but I grabbed my lance, cavalry sword, dagger, and shield, and sprinted to the stables. Simon was already leading Moonblink out of his stall, I lept on, grabbing the reins and thrusting my boots into the stirrups. I looked around to see other knights getting on their horses, but couldn't see Clary or Isabelle anywhere. I shook my head. There wasn't time to worry about them. I had to protect my castle, myself, and my horse. I touched my heels to Moonblink's sides, and he reared up.

"For the king, the kingdom, and the Angel!" I yelled over the noise. I heard the other knights repeating my cry, but Moonblink and I were already galloping toward the gate.

Simon POV

I couldn't believe that the battle master told me to get back to the stables. He treated me like a woman, or a child. I should be out fighting. Then a thought struck me. While Jace is gone on the campaign, I could get Clary back. She would be mine, and there wasn't anything he could do about it.

Izzy POV

I looked around in disbelief. What had happened? I figured that I wouldn't be able to find them on my own, so I began to run back to the castle. After a few steps, I realized that I had to be able to find my way back here. Looking for a way to mark my path, I could see no other except a loose string that hung off my shirt. That gave me an idea... I wrapped the string around a branch of the tree that we slept under, and sure enough, my shirt began to unravel as I walked. I couldn't worry about it now... There was no other way. I set off running again.

**So sorry its so short! Just wanted to get this up for you guys... :) I will write more tomorrow! Or maybe today... but I have to go ride my ponies so... I don't know. It will be up soon! :) **

**Thanks for reading! **

**Please review! **

**Feel free to leave me some FLAMES! :)**


	23. Attack

**Thanks so much for reading! A shout out to all those people who have or ride horses... They're AMAZING! 3 Enjoy this chapter!**

**BTW I am not, and will never be, Cassandra Clare.**

Simon POV

I went back in to the stable, and looked around. All the battlehorses were gone, with just a few broodmares and foals left. I checked all the gates and water troughs, and threw in a bit more hay. I went into the tack room, and found it in disarray from all the large knights and stable boys rushing to get their saddles, bridles, and spurs. I cleaned it up, replacing the few saddles that remained. I hung up the bridles on their hooks, and swept the floor. I stepped back to admire my handy work when I realized who's saddle was here. Clary's.

I spun on my heel and slammed into Izzy. We fell onto the hay, with me catching myself with my hands so that I didn't land on her. My face was inches from hers, and for the first time, I realized how beautiful she was.

"Simon! Get up!" She said, trying to wiggle out from under me. I pushed myself up and blushed. I stuck out my hand to help her up and she accepted it. As I pulled her to her feet, I noticed her lack of a shirt. I blushed again and tore my eyes from her body as quickly as possible.

Izzy POV

"Simon, Clary is in trouble. She has been kidnapped... I think by Valentine and Aline." I quickly recapped what happened, and Simon's eyes burned with rage. He ran out to the armory and grabbed a sword before vaulting onto Starshine bareback and bridleless.

"Where can I find her?" He said as Starshine pranced in place, disturbed by her master's distress.

"Follow this string," I said, handing him the final bundle of it. With a word to Starshine, he showed her the ball and let her pick up the scent. Since she was originally trained as a hunting horse, she was very good at scent tracking.

"Find Clary," He told her, and they were gone in a flurry of black fur and pine shavings.

I ran into the tack room and grabbed a horse blanket. I wrapped it around myself and set off to my room to find a real shirt.

Jace POV

We stood just inside the gate, waiting for the enemy to break through or retreat. Since the wall was holding strong and Valentine's army was only just holding out, we decided to wait, and not use the back gates to surround them from the back. Many of their men were falling by our archers, and boiling oil was being poured. No men on our side had been harmed... Yet. It was strange though, Valentine's attacking army was very small. I guess he was keeping most of them back at the castle, so we couldn't retaliate. It just didn't add up. Valentine was a suspicious man... He kept a very large garrison at any given time. I don't know.

My father was also worried about the size of the attacking force, and had ordered everyone to keep a watch on all sides of the castle. Another attack could come from anywhere. Just then, the remaining men began to retreat. There was less than twenty of them left, and they turned tail and fled, leaving their injured behind. The gates were thrust open and our army galloped out, taking those who surrendered as prisoners, and killing the others. We followed the last group of around five soldiers, who were running for the woods. I pulled Moonblink to a stop, sensing movement in the woods.

"Stop! Its a-" I was cut off by the screams of my men as they were brought down from wave upon wave of cavalry soldiers.

"Get back to the Castle!" I screamed, turning Moonblink in a half rear, spinning him toward the castle. Those who could do the same, did and we headed back through the gates like the devil was snapping at our heels. The last of us got through the gate and the gate keeper slammed it shut. Several of Valentine's cavalry soldiers made it in, but they were quickly slaughtered. The screams of the horses and riders as they fell to arrows and boiling oil was almost too much to bare. After all the boiling oil was poured, several torches were thrown down, scorching anything and everything in its way. Our stone wall held strong, with the iron gates holding the intruders out. Still trying to force their way through the gates, they were subjected to the firery oil and arrows. War is a dangerous thing.

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	24. JustIn Time

**Hey everyone! Happy Easter! I don't know if any of you read this up here... but Oh well! Its kinda fun to write... so anyways... Here you go! Oh ya, and I'm NOT Cassandra Clare, and I most likely will never be. So Enjoy!**

Aline POV

I walked into the castle, Clary and some knight in tow. Luckily he was sent to hunt or something and was able to knock out Clary and bring her here. Valentine would be so happy to get his daughter back. I might be able to get my family back. Once I woke up in the woods and realized that Clary was following me, it had been a relatively simple matter to take her out. Just a few hits to the temple, and she was out like a light. It was strange that she was following me alone, but I didn't think to much of that. She wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed. I led the way to the throne room and burst through the doors.

"Sir Valentine, there is something I need to show you," I called, kneeling before his mighty throne.

"Aline, can't you see that I'm in the middle of something?" His voice trailed off when he saw Clary, stumbling along before the guard.

"Clary?" He asked, standing and walking to her, "Is that you?" He lifted her chin and moved his face close to hers.

"Valentine," She spat, taking a step back and jerking her head out of his grasp.

"As much as I hate to interrupt this precious moment, I was wondering if this earned their freedom?" I asked slowly.

"Hmm? Oh yes, your family. No dear, I'm afraid not. I asked for Jace... Not this," He said, gesturing to Clary. I looked at him hard, determined not to let tears break through.

"Take her away," He said, gesturing to me, "She can stay with her family," He said, a grin breaking through his mask. I began to beg, plead, but two guards lifted me roughly from under my arms and began to drag me to the dungeon cell where Valentine was holding my family hostage. He was a horrible man, but I had to work for him to save my family. They threw me into the cell and slammed the door, plunging everything into darkness.

Clary POV

Aline was dragged away, kicking and screaming. The doors slammed shut, and her voice faded into nothing.

"So Clary, would you like to answer some questions?" He asked.

"No. And shouldn't you be with your army? Or are you too much of a coward?" I asked him, venom dripping from my voice. He simply laughed.

"They are fine. I was waiting for Jace to be... Escorted... here but it seems that dear Aline has failed. I suppose you could be bait... What do you say, Clary? Want to help me catch Jacey wacey? The spoiled brat of a prince, who killed my son?" He asked, his voice smooth like honey, but with a steely undertone.

"No. I'm afraid I must be getting home," I said sweetly, turning to leave, "But thanks for the offer..." My voice trailed off as I made a leap through the window, the shattered glass flying everywhere. Even before I hit the ground, my legs were pumping. I took off like a shot, headed back toward the Evershire. I didn't look back, but there was no sound of pursuit. I guess he thought I wouldn't make it that far... But there was one thing he wasn't counting on. A horse. I guess he got loose or something, but suddenly a large, pure white, Oldenburg gelding was galloping alongside me. I ran alongside him for a few strides until we reached a large rock. I ran up the side and jumped, soaring across the gap and landing with a foot in a stirrup, gripping his mane and grabbing for the reins. I heard a shout from the castle, and knew that they had seen me. I swung my leg around so that I was seated in the saddle, and shortened up the reins. Risking a look back, I saw a few men rushing to get on horses, but they wouldn't reach me. This horse was fast, and he had some major power. Looking back ahead, I saw a fallen tree in our path. With no time to turn around it, I set my heels against his sides and leaned forward, grasping his short mane. The horse sailed over the jump perfectly, landing on the other side and continuing his gallop at break neck speed, never missing a beat in his rhythm. Galloping toward Evershire, I guessed we were halfway there, when he began to buck. Theses weren't bucks like Sundance did when I got her... I could handle those. These were the kind of bucks where you worried that he would do a front flip and land on top of you. I pulled his head up, bringing my hands high, and hugging his sides with my legs. Suddenly without warning, he lept up in the air, pulled his head down, snatching the reins out of my hands, and bucked. I flew onto his neck as he slid to a stop, rearing up. I was thrown back into the saddle and dug my heels into his ribs. He brought his feet back to the earth and stood stock still. He was like a bundled coil underneath me, ready to spring at any second. I loosened the reins and gave him a pat on the neck. That's when I noticed his tag that jingled from the top of his right headpiece buckle. I reached forward and unclasped it, reading the information.

_Just In Time_

"_Justin"_

_17 year old_

_Oldenburg_

"Justin?" I asked. He shook his head and turned his neck to look back at me, nickering with recognition. I gave he a pet, and leaned down to replace the tag.

"Well boy, I need to get home. Can you behave like a gentleman?" I asked him. He tossed his head and pawed the ground.

"I'll take that as a yes," I laughed and gathered up the reins again. We took off galloping. In no time at all, we could see the flaring flags and soaring peaks of the castle Evershire. Once they recognized me, se were quickly waved through the back gates, and the door slammed shut behind us. I looked around and realized that the village around us was in complete and utter chaos.

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**Oh Ya, and for those of you horse lovers out there, the horse (JustIn Time) mentioned in this chapter is real! :) He did buck me off like three days ago... But hes AMAZING :D He is beautiful and hugemongous!**


	25. Inside the Walls

**Hey everyone! Thanks so much for reading! Lucky you guys! Two chappies in one day, cuz this one is short and cuz its Easter! **

**I do own a magical green unicorn who eats rainbows and poops butterflies, I don't own these characters! Everything except my imagination belongs to Cassandra Clare.**

Jace POV

I was walking back from the castle, having discussed the recent ambush with my father. Nobody was to leave the castle walls. I told a few of the guards, and they ran off to lock all the gates. We had large, stone slabs just for this purpose, and they were slid into place behind the iron bars. I was taking Moonblink back to the stables when I spotted a pure white tail disappearing behind the corner of a row of stalls. I sighed. Only one horse here had a white tail, and that was Sundance. Only one person would be taking Sundance out, and that was Clary.

"Clary!" I called, picking up a light jog as Moonblink trotted to keep up.

"Jace!" I heard her call back, "What happened?" I rounded the corner and saw her putting an unfamiliar white horse into a stall.

"They attacked... But its okay. Everything is sealed up now so nobody is getting in. Who's horse is that? And where have you been all day today and yesterday?" I said quickly.

"Uhh... Well me and Izzy were following Aline and then Aline knocked me out and took me to the castle and she was working for Valentine because he has her family locked up and I jumped through the window and ran away and then I found Justin here." She said quickly. After she was finished, she took a deep breath and patted the horse on his neck. I dropped Moonblink's reins on the ground and swept her up in a hug.

"You poor thing... I'm so sorry. Don't ever go anywhere without me now. I was so worried," I said to her. Suddenly, I was roughly pushed from behind. I turned around and drew my sword, tense for a fight. Clary's laughter rang out like a bell.

"Its okay, Jace. It was just Justin," She said, stepping in between the bars of the fence and unbuckling his girth. He was a very handsome horse, with a shapely head and intelligent eyes. His thick white lashes bordered the rich brown, liquid pools. He blinked at me and inched his head closer. I scratched him behind the ears and undid his throat latch. Grabbing the crown piece of the bridle, I pulled it over his ears and held my hand under his mouth to catch the bit as he spit it out. Holding up the bridle to inspect it, I took in the jewled brow band, studded cheek pieces, and fancy silver name plate.

"Just In Time. Thats quite a good name for such a handsome horse," I told him. He tossed his head in agreement and then bent down to slurp from the water bucket.

"Good boy," Clary cooed, picking up a brush and working the sweat out of his fur. He picked up his head and turned to her. He lifted his head just above hers, and then spit out the water that he was holding in his mouth. I gasped, looking at Clary's dripping head and astonished face. Justin chose that moment to nicker, and it seemed as if he was laughing at her. Clary couldn't help but smile, and soon we were both cracking up.

Justin POV

I spit water on the girl's head, just to test her. If it had been my old "Master", Valentine, he would've beat me. Clary seemed much nicer, even if she did smell funny. I was so glad that I ran away when that stupid groom tried to get on me. He should've known better. I hate that boy. Any little thing I did, weather it be stomping at flies, or swishing my tail too close to his face, he would get out a whip and beat me. That, or he would smack me on the face. He never hit me so hard that I bled... Valentine would surely have his head. The blood would stain my fur, and then Valentine, as vain as he is, wouldn't ride me because it would take away from my beauty. I decided that I liked this girl, Clary. Even when I decided to play with her on the trail, she didn't get mad. She was a bit harsh at first, but that could be expected, since she didn't even know me, and was obviously running away from Valentine. After she called me by my name, I decided that I trusted her. That I wanted to run away with her. After all, any place where Clary was would be better than Valentine's place. I liked this Jace character too, but he was a little too jumpy for my taste. Oh well. I could always train him.

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**Bye for now my lovely ponies!**


	26. Beauty

**Hey my amazing ponies! Here's your chapter for today... Enjoy!**

**BTW I don't own these characters, but Cassandra Clare does!**

Clary POV

I finished grooming Justin and went into the feed room to get him some dinner. I scooped Oat mo and bran into a bucket and added some water. I threw in a few treats and some carrots and bent down to mix it together. Picking up the bucket, I grabbed a flake of Bermuda and headed to the door. Jace was leaning against the door frame, waiting for me to come out of the feed room.

"What are you doing here still?" I asked him. I had thought he had left a while ago with Moonblink.

"I came back to see if you were ready for dinner? Its almost six thirty." He replied.

"Uhh... Sure. I need to give this to Justin and then I will be right there." I said, brushing past him and walking to the large stall. I slipped through the fence and placed the bucket on the floor. Justin immediately began to chomp, his large jaw working furiously to grind the carrots and treats. I tossed the flake of hay next to his water bucket and stuck my hand in to check the temperature. It seemed cool enough, so I climbed back over the fence. Checking the gate, I blew the horse a kiss.

"Goodnight, Justin," I called. He looked up from his dinner and nickered in response. Behind me, I heard Jace laugh.

"Ready yet?" He asked.

"One sec.. I still need to feed Sunny and Moonblink," I told him, turning around and tapping his hand. He followed me back into the feed room and watched intently as I scooped the feed.

"Come on, Clary! Why can't Simon do that?" He asked.

"Simon has been doing it all week. I'm just doing our horses... I will ask Alec and Simon to do the rest." I replied. Writing a quick note to Simon, I finished up the dinners. I was about to mix them when Jace bent down and began to mix Moonblink's.

"Do you mind?" He asked, looking up at me.

"No... Not at all. Go right ahead... Prince," I giggled. He was up and next to me in a flash.

"Don't." He whispered.

"Or what?" I challenged, still laughing.

"Or else I might just have to leave. No more eye candy for you," He said, turning his back and beginning to walk away.

"Alrighty. Bye!" I called sweetly, restraining my laughs. He was stalked out of the door, but I knew he was still there. I hadn't heard his receding footsteps, and I knew that he wasn't really mad.

"Oh well. I guess Jace won't be getting lucky tonight," I said loudly, picking up the dinners and marching out the door. As expected, Jace lunged at me and wrapped his arms around my torso, pinning my arms to my sides.

"Jace! I have to feed the horses! I'm the only one who can do it... Don't make me spill these!" I yelled, almost dropping the dinners. He laughed, taking the dinners from my hands and running.

"Jace!" I called after him, pretending to run. As soon as he rounded the corner, I stopped and smiled to myself. Reverse psychology always works with guys. A few seconds later, he came strolling back around the corner as if nothing happened.

"You tricked me," He accused, pouting.

"Who me?" I asked, trying to keep a straight face.

"No... Your horse," He said statistically, stepping closer and grabbing a few flakes of hay. He gracefully picked his way through the loose wisps of hay, careful not to slip, and slid through the door on the opposite side of the room. Going outside, he tossed the hay into the feed bins and ducked under the fence to turn out Moonblink and Sundance. I ran to Sundance's gate, undoing the chain.

"You ready, girl?" I asked, getting her excited with my voice. I looked at Jace. He slammed open the gate as I swung mine to the side. Sundance reared as Moonblink took off, galloping like the devil himself was on his heels. Sundance took off after him, catching him in just a few strides. They galloped around, bucking and playing for a few minutes. I led the way to the fence and climbed up, perching on top. Slowly, they began to slow their pace. Jace climbed up beside me and put his arm around my shoulders. I leaned my head against his shoulder, relaxing in the warm safety of his embrace. I looked up as I heard a squeal. I saw an unfamiliar white head sticking out of one of the barn windows. I looked at it for a few seconds before realizing it was Justin. Moonblink and Sundance hovered outside his stall gate, sniffing noses and squealing.

"Justin, you wanna come out here?" I asked. As if he understood, he nickered and pawed the ground. I laughed and leaped off the fence, jogging over to his gate. Throwing it open, he took off like a shot, racing in between Moonblink and Sundance. They reared and took off chasing him. Justin climbed up a small bluff and reared. The last of the fading sunset glowed with a quiet intensity behind him. The wind picked up several multicolored leaves, their subtle yet vibrant yellows and reds weaving through his mane and tail, circling his head in a playful manner.

Jace POV

Clary's new horse, Justin, was something of a miracle. He was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen to walk the earth, except for maybe Clary.

"He really is something," Clary whispered, taking my arm and pointing. The last of the sun glanced off the rise and just for a moment, I could see it glint on something on the outside of the wall.

"Clary, did you see that?" I asked, checking my suspicions.

"Yes, isn't he beautiful?" She replied.

"No, I meant the thing outside the walls... It looked like... armor," I said slowly, straining my eyes to see more.

"Armor? Why would there be armor there..." She wondered out loud. I barely heard her, because I was already running, shouting for guards.

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	27. Beasts

**Hello dearest ponies!**

**All the characters belong to Cassandra Clare.**

Justin POV

I finished my feed and walked over to the hay. Suddenly, there was the sound of hooves outside. I rushed to the gate, leaning against it and unconsciously pawing. _Justin!_ I yelled at myself. I stopped pawing, determined to break my bad habit. There were two large horses, a palomino mare and a blue roan stallion. I nickered and they looked my way.

"Hey! Who are you?" The golden mare called, marching toward me. A large blue stallion trailed behind her, ears perked and looked at me with a kind of quiet intensity that worried me.

"My name is Just In Time, and I am the royal horse of King Valentine," I said, using my title to my advantage. Hopefully this little mare would be impressed, and her friend would back off. Their eyes both darkened when I mentioned Valentine.

"What are you doing here?" The stallion asked, his teeth bared and ears pinned back against his head.

"Running away," I said simply.

"In fact, I helped Valentine's daughter, Clary get away from him too," I continued. Both of their ears perked up, and they became friendly.

"Clary?" the mare asked. Obviously the girl meant something to her.

"Well a friend of Clary's is a friend of ours," The stallion stated.

"I'm Moonblink, by the way. This is Sundance." He said simply, all bitterness melting away.

"Aww, look at Jace and Clary," Sundance suddenly cooed. We all turned our heads to follow her gaze. Clary was sitting on the fence, snuggled in some blonde boy's arms. I guessed he was Jace, but just couldn't help asking.

"Who's Jace?" I asked, watching as Clary stood up and began to walk over. The look that crossed Jace's face was unmistakably disappointment.

"Jace is prince of Evershire," Moonblink responded, "And my master," He added thoughtfully. So this was the dreaded Jace that Valentine hated. The one that killed Sebastian. The one that Valentine swore to get revenge on. I decided that I liked this kid already.

Clary walked up to us and unlatched the gate. I decided that I would give them all a little show. Galloping up the nearest hill, I checked to see that the sunset was behind me. In the last rays of fleeting light, I kicked up my front hooves and rose to my hind legs, a flurry of Autumn leaves dancing in my wake. I laughed internally at their faces. I fell back to earth, my moment as an angel gone. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glint like Armor. When I caught it again, I realized that it was Valentine's signal mirrors. One flash meant that that are was in position. Two meant that they were ready. Three meant attack. I learned this in my war training. It is amazing what you can pick up just by listening to people. They thought they needed to train some newbies at the same time they were making sure us horses wouldn't be afraid of the mirrors. Stupid humans. Quickly explaining the system to Sundance and Moonblink, they began to panic. Since there was just one flash from two different places, they still had hours until the attack. It took a long time to assemble an army large enough to storm a castle. Looking around, we realized that Jace and Clary were setting out for the walls.

"Clary!" Sundance yelled, galloping to stand in their way.

Clary POV

"What is it, girl?" I asked, looking at a frantic Sundance. Her body stood between us and the wall. As Jace tried to take a step around her, Moonblink blocked his path as well.

"Whats wrong?" He asked the stallion, stroking his velvet covered nose. The horse nickered, a low rumble in the barrel of his chest. He gestured with his nose to the wall, trying to tell us something. I looked to the wall and saw a glint, like a mirror reflecting light.

"Why do they have mirrors?" I asked, squinting to try to see it again. After several minutes, I gave up and turned back to Jace.

"Come on. We need to tell the guards. I think its armor," He said, beginning to march toward the guard tower.

Simon POV

I galloped through the woods, following the string trail. When we reached the end, I found the blood easily enough. I swore softly, and gave Star a command. She sniffed around the blood and then stood still, her ears flicking twice, indicating she picked up the scent.

"Seek," I told her, nudging her with my calf. She took off again, at a trot this time. She was headed in the direction of Tivara, and my fears were confirmed. Valentine.

I loosened my bow, taking it off my back and holding it in my left hand. I dropped the reins to Star's neck, grabbing a handful of arrows. I nocked one, putting the rest into my boot cup. The brown feathered ends stood out of the top of the cup, ready to be grabbed if I needed them.

"Easy, Star," I said as we neared the castle. She slowed to a halt, peering out at the castle. I saw knights looking around, and several stable boys cleaning glass out of the grass. The wind blew our way and Starshine stiffened, her nostrils flaring as she caught a scent. She turned back and headed deeper into the woods, veering off to the left.

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	28. Just Jump It

**Hey everyone! So sorry this chappie is so short + late! My parents took away my computer (AGAIN) but you guys will get lots tomorrow!**

**I STILL do not own TMI series... Characters belong to Cassie Clare.**

Simon POV

I allowed Starshine to follow this new trail, thinking that maybe Clary hadn't made it to the castle after all. She trotted around to a giant rock, when she stopped. Sniffing the ground, I could tell that she found the scent of a horse. Knowing Clary, she probably stole one and escaped. Sundance sniffed the rock and climbed up on top of it. She stomped once with her front, right hoof, indicating that she had lost the scent. I was sure that Clary used this rock to mount the stolen horse, then using it to escape home. I dismounted to pluck a long, white tail hair from a nearby blackberry bush. I walked back to Star, giving her the hair. Once she had told me that she got the scent, I leaped back on her.

"Seek," I commanded. She took off again, following the scent like a hound.

As we neared a giant fallen log, I tapped her with my heels, hoping that for once she would jump. There was no way around, a boulder on one side and a steep, crumbling drop on the other. She was an amazing jumper when she was younger, but since she broke her leg, she was always worried that it would happen again. Her ears perked forward and she galloped faster, her hooves barely seeming to touch the ground. Leaning forward and standing in the stirrups, I grabbed her mane and hugged her ribs with my calves. At a full speed gallop, she rapidly closed the distance to the jump. She lifted her front legs and... slid to a stop. Falling forward, I caught myself with her mane. Rearing up, she threw me back into the saddle. I smacked her butt with a switch, telling her what a naughty horse she was.

"Star, this is no time to fool around. Get over that log." I said sternly. She backed up a few strides and looked back at me. I patted her neck and clicked to encourage her. From a halt, she took three strides and then soared over the log, landing safely on the other side.

Jace POV

I trotted through the castle doors, Clary trailing in my wake.

"Father," I called as we reached the throne room. He looked up from his advisers and battle-master, turning his attention to me.

"Yes, Jace?" He asked, his look one of patience.

"They are just outside the Western walls. I saw their armor or something in the light. We tried to warn the wall guards but the horses wouldn't let us. They started spazzing out and blocking our way," I said quickly. Father nodded at several of the knights, and they took off running for the West wall.

"Prepare the soldiers. Not the horses yet. We are safe as long as we are inside the walls. Light the signal fires," He said, everyone scrambling to follow his orders.

We walked outside, the darkness setting in as the blue fires were set. I turned to Clary, grabbing her hand.

"Its going to be okay, Clary," I said to her in my little kid voice. She laughed, turning to give me the evil eye.

"I guess I need to feed the rest of the horses if Alec and Simon can't..." She said, turning away and dropping my hand. I knew that I should be getting prepared but... I couldn't leave Clary just like that.

"Clary! Wait!" I called. She turned around, waiting for me to say something else. Instead, I ran up to her and picked her up in my arms. Pressing my lips to her ear, I whispered to her.

"I love you," I said so softly that I wasn't sure she even heard me.

"I love you too," She replied, "Stay safe," She added after a moments thought. I kissed her briefly before letting her go and running back to the barracks.

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	29. Chapter 30

**Hey ponies! :) Sorry I haven't updated in a while, but I wasn't sure if anyone was reading! I told myself that if I got another review then I would post, and lucky for you, **EndlessSummer74 **reviewed! Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own TMI**

**TIME SKIP!**

Third person****

Jace walked out onto the field. Since Valentine had declared battle by right of the blood king, Jace's father couldn't refuse. He had given the army had a day to pull together, summoning everyone who could even swing a sword or shoot a bow. Clary was on archery, looking down from her position in line. Sundance was in the barn because she was in season and distracting all the stallions; especially Moonblink. Instead, Clary was perched upon Justin's back. She glanced down at Jace, who was with Moonblink, sitting in the grass and speaking to the king. Valentine had called off his army, giving the army of Evershire a chance to assemble. He only did this so he could slaughter them all at once. His army outnumbered the one they were opposing around three to one. Unfortunately for Valentine, his soldier were perfectly happy with the size of their kingdom, and didn't believe in slaughtering their neighbors, especially when there was no reason. This gave the defending army another advantge. They knew the terrain, were all loyal to their king, and were fighting for their lives and homes.****

Jace pov**  
><strong>"Father, shouldn't we be getting ready?" I asked, glancing around at our army, sitting in the grass, talking to one another as their horses grazed nearby.**  
><strong>"If it were any other situation, then probably. But Valentine has given us 24 hours and we still have at least three left. There's no use getting everyone tense. We want them to relax and conserve their energy for the battle," father responded. Well I guess that made sense, but I didn't have to like it. In fact, it absolute irked me. I wanted to get this over with; I just wanted to kill valentine and then go back home. I didn't like this waiting.****

I led Moonblink over to Clary and sat down in the grass next to Justin's feet. She looked down at me And dismounted, dropping Justin's reins tithe ground. "stay, boy," she said, holding up her hand. He snorted in reply and bent his head to pluck at the short grass.**  
><strong>"hey," she said and sat down. I scooted closer to her and draped my arm over her shoulders. She leaned her head on my shoulder and sighed.**  
><strong>"I don't like waiting," she said, as if she read my mind.**  
><strong>"me neither," I admitted. She laughed, but the bell like sound was swept away by the wind. She looked at me again and my heart sped up. A gust of wind picked up her loose mane of red curls, spinning them around her face in a tornado of fire. She groaned, frustrated, and pulled out a hair tye. She quickly braided it into a fishtail at the side of her head. She pulled a Bobby pin from her back pocket and opened it with her teeth. She pinned back her side bangs with a sigh.**  
><strong>" what's wrong?" I asked quickly.**  
><strong>"us. You. Me. What if valentine wins?" she asked," he's gonna try to take me and Justin back... You know that, right? Not only that, but he wants to kill you for taking out Sebastian. " she said, looking at me with concern.**  
><strong>" you know there's only one option then?" I asked her. She looked up at me, a question on the tip of her tongue.**  
><strong>" we take him out first," I said, standing up and pulling her to her feet.****

" up," I commanded Moonblink who immediately picked up his head and sidestepped so I could mount. Grabbing his reins in one hand and he back of the saddle with the other, I put my foot in the stirrup and hoisted myself up. I looked up, expecting to have to encourage Clary, but she was already in her saddle.****

Clary pov****

I lept into the saddle, looking at Jace expectantly. He looked up and couldn't keep the surprise off his face. We were going to find valentine. If we could surprise him and kill him before he got to the battleground, his army wouldn't continue to fight. We were relatively safe as Jace was an expert fighter and we both has warhorses who were completely loyal. I was trained since I was a child in the art of archery, as all the children in evershire were. Evershire had something of an expert army, as the king was slightly paranoid and always wanted to be prepared for times like this. So we set out, sneaking away from the arm and into the surrounding forest.**  
><strong>

**Thanks for reading! **

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**The next chapter will probably be the last! :'( **


	30. The End?

**Hey everyone! Sorry to say... This is the last chapter! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Cassandra Clare owns these characters!**

Jace POV

Clary, Justin, Moonblink and I trotted into the forest. Once there, I set Moonblink to find Valentine. He set his nose to the ground and began to sniff. When he couldn't find the scent, Clary suggested we just head towards their castle. Since I couldn't think of a better plan, we decided to do just that.

Clary POV

After almost an hour, we heard the faint jingle of harnesses. We pulled our horses to a halt, concealing them in a relatively thick stand of trees. Jace climbed up the nearest redwood, trying to catch a glimpse of the traveling army. Suddenly, I watched as his body tensed, every muscle coiled with tension. He suddenly dropped down from the tree, landing lightly on his feet like a jungle cat.

"They're coming this way," He said in a rapid whisper, "Climb that tree and when you see Valentine, shoot," He said.

"Alright... Where will you be?" I asked in the same manner.

"Right here," Jace said, planting his feet in the middle of the road.

"But-" He cut me off, placing a finger to his lips and pointing to the tree. Stringing my bow, I grabbed an arrow and stuck the shaft in between my teeth. I climbed the tree quickly, looking around once I reached the top. I saw the army, moving rapidly forcing its way through the trees. I looked down at Jace, realizing where he was standing. Right in their way. I couldn't speak, for fear that they would hear. I watched in agony as the army drew nearer, and Jace didn't move. I tore my eyes away and searched the crowd for Valentine. He was riding a new horse, a cherry bay mare by the looks of it. I waited until he closed the gap between us, and then shot. The arrow buried itself in his chest with a sickening thud. I watched in utter horror as he pulled out his knife and threw it at Jace, and then was promptly thrown from the saddle as his mare reared. He lay, unmoving, as the column came to a halt. I dropped from the tree and was at Jace's side in seconds.

Jace POV

I looked up to see a knife speeding my way. I tried to duck, but Clary's arrow had thrown his aim off. If I had stayed where I was, it would've hit me in the upper leg. Instead of thinking, I instinctively ducked and fell to the ground as the knife buried itself in my chest. I looked at it, not believing that it was actually there, as I felt no pain. All of a sudden, like a ton of bricks, it came crashing down on me. A flower of pain blossomed from my ribs, my heart, and my lungs. Then everything went black, and I didn't feel anything.

Clary POV

I watched the life drain from Jace's eyes, the light leaving. I watched as his muscles relaxed, his heart ceasing to beat. I slid his eyelids closed and froze, unsure of what to do next.

Third Person

Valentine's second in command came to his senses first. He spun around to see the king's killer, right in the path of the army. He grabbed his sword and advanced toward her, his strides long and filled with purpose. He lopped off her head with one swing and proceeded to yell at his army to get moving. They marched on to Evershire, where they defeated the king and took the castle. They then went on to conquer the continent, and later THE WORLD.

**HAHA JUST KIDDING! KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR THE REAL LAST CHAPTER!**

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**I am thinking about doing a sequel but am not sure yet... Thoughts?**


	31. Death to Valentine

**Heyy Everyone! Long time no update! Sorry about that... I was busy with CST testing at school (EWW!) and Horses (As usual :)) and all that other fun stuff... I have also been put under LOTS of pressure to write a good ending, so I hope this works for you guys! I have been working on it for a long long time... sooooooooooo... ENJOY!**

Jace POV

I watched as Clary silently climbed up the tree, stifling a gasp when her left foot slipped off it's resting place. Once she was nestled in between two branches, I tossed her bow up. She swiftly reached out and grabbed it, while holding the branch with her other hand. She was able to carry her quiver up with her, but couldn't take her bow. She plucked the string and it let out a low thrum. She grinned down at me, and then disappeared as she leaned back against the branches.

We would probably have a long wait, just because we wanted to be hidden so we weren't discovered. We were a ways away from Valentine's column, but they were headed this way. It was only logical, as this was one of the most clear and direct paths through the forest. I walked back to the horses and threw their stirrups over the side of their saddle. It wouldn't be good for the two giant horses to get tangled up in something. After a moment's thought, I decided not to loosen their girths. Even though I felt bad, we might need to get away quickly, and couldn't risk a slipping saddle. I fastened the reins to the saddle, to that they wouldn't fall over the horse's head and get tangled in their front legs. After leading them to a clearing a few hundred yards away, I gave the command to wait. They happily ate the grass and swished their tails at flies. Satisfied, I left to find a hiding spot.

-TIME PASS-

Clary POV

I watched as Valentine fell from his horse, an arrow in his thigh and a throwing knife buried in his temple. The army halted, looking around at their king. A single squire began to cheer, and he threw down his weapons. One by one, the rest of the army followed suit, except some of the high ranking nobility. There were a few men who were loyal to Valentine, and they began to attempt to push the army forward. When they refused, the loyal men struck out, slaughtering any man in range. I fired a few more arrows in rapid succession, taking out these noble men. I dropped lightly to the ground and called out in the loudest voice possible, "I am Clary, Valentine's daughter. As Princess of Tivara, I hereby claim the castle and land as my own. As my army, I command that you return home immediately. We will not wage war on Evershire. Not now, not ever. Return to your lives as normal and await further instruction." I turned to find Jace behind me, holding the horses.

"Impressive," He smirked.

"Shut up, Jace." I said quietly. I got onto Justin and watched as everyone exchanged glances, and then began to leave.

Jace and I galloped back to the field where his father and Evershire's army waited. I waited patiently as Jace quickly retold the story to his father, making wild gestures with his hands. I watched as the King quickly told his commanders to send everyone home. As the knights and warriors began to leave the field, Jace, the King, and I went back to the castle to talk things over.

**Thanks so much for reading! **

**Sorry it was so short!**

**BTW I wanted you guys to know that I ditched this HUGE project thats due in two days (That I haven't started yet) to get this up, so I hope you're grateful! :)**

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**If you want a sequel, or me to do a different story, PM me or tell me in a review! Thanks!**

**I'm thinking about doing maybe a Prim/Cato story from the Hunger games... What do you think?**


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